Manchester City are preparing an opening offer of £75m plus add-ons for Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, claims The Daily Mail.
Pep Guardiola has earmarked Grealish as a top transfer target this summer but knows he faces a real fight to prise him from boyhood club Villa.
Grealish is still undecided about his future and has a new £200,000-a-week offer on the table to extend his stay at Villa Park.
The 25-year-old has emerged as one of the best players in the Premier League in the last 12 months and Villa value the England international at £100m.
Grealish is due back from his holiday and aims to decide his Villa future by the end of next week.
🏴 Top rated players in the Premier League last season:
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 16, 2021
🥇 Harry Kane - 7.79
🥈 Kevin De Bruyne - 7.65
🥉 Jack Grealish - 7.56
🤯 Imagine if Man City sign Kane AND Grealish... pic.twitter.com/CeUbRIEjpv
Villa's preference is to keep Grealish in their ambitious push for Europe but if he does leave then they want a British transfer record in return.
Harry Maguire's £80m move to Manchester United is the current transfer record for a British player and Villa are demanding any club smash that for Grealish.
Villa's No.10 finished the 2020/21 Premier League campaign as the third highest WhoScored rated player in the division beind Kevin De Bruyne and fellow City target Harry Kane.