Jack Grealish Contract Reportedly Contains £45M Clause Amid Spurs Rumours

The new contract Jack Grealish recently signed with Aston Villa reportedly contains a release clause that allows him to leave the club next summer for £45 million.

According to Matt Hughes of The Times, the clause applies to any club and will be of interest to both Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, who have previously approached Villa about the attacking midfielder.

Per Hughes, Spurs are said to have made a £25 million offer for Grealish in the previous transfer window.

"While [new owner Nassef] Sawiris has a net worth of over £5 billion, according to Forbes, Villa could be forced to sell Grealish next summer if they fail to win promotion to the Premier League," Hughes said. "They will need to raise funds to avoid being docked points the next season for breaching the EFL's profit-and-sustainability rules."

Based on the early evidence in 2018-19, gaining promotion is going to be a big ask for Steve Bruce's Villa side. Following their draw against Bristol City on Friday night, they remain 11th in the table despite having played a game more than most of the teams in the second tier.

For many, Grealish's decision to sign a contract with Villa was a surprise after interest from such illustrious clubs. And while the Midlands outfit are his boyhood club, he admitted he was disappointed a move to Tottenham didn't go through.

"Of course there's going to be disappointment there," he told the Daily Telegraph (h/t Joe Shread of Sky Sports) "They've beaten Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford. They're playing Barcelona in the Champions League next week."

After bursting through from an early age at Villa, Grealish's career appeared in danger of fizzling out. However, in 2018, he's performed well under the guidance of manager Steve Bruce and has been a creative force for his side:

While there are clearly aspects of his game that need refining, the 23-year-old has an incredible amount of natural talent.

He's at ease on the ball, able to glide across the turf and past defenders before finding killer passes.

As the Villa Views Twitter account noted, while he is adept at playing wide, Grealish is at his best when used behind the centre-forward:

The amount mentioned would be an extraordinary sum for Spurs or Chelsea to have to pay for a player from the second tier regardless of how good Grealish is at that level. Where Villa may have an issue is if they fail to earn promotion back to the top flight.

Grealish, based on his quotes, was keen on a move to Tottenham, and it would have been intriguing to see him work under Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino. If he wants that move next summer, Villa may find it tough to stand in his way.