Manchester City have made Jack Grealish their No.1 midfielder goal and are set to make Aston Villa the first £ 100million player in English football.

The Premier League champions will play their first Champions League final against Chelsea on Saturday and are determined to improve the quality of an already exceptional squad from a position of strength.

Grealish has long been admired by Pep Guardiola and the City manager wants the 25-year-old to be at the center of what he hopes to become the second great team in his Manchester reign.

Tottenham forward Harry Kane is also firmly in City’s sights after the England captain revealed his desire to leave north London in search of silverware last week.

Villa rewarded Grealish last September with a lucrative new contract and the club captain has four more years to sign his contract.

His importance alongside Dean Smith is huge and as such they wouldn’t be willing to sell their local hero for anything less than a new UK transfer record.

City haven’t had the Premier League’s most expensive player since signing Robinho for £ 32.5million at the start of the Abu Dhabi era in September 2008, but it is recognized that the Grealish recruiting will come at a price.

It is unclear at this point whether City would pursue direct cash negotiation or whether there would be room for the players who have struggled for playing time this season to be included in the deal – as they will. did in 2019 when Joao Cancelo signed from Juventus with Danilo used as a weight.

City sold Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz to Villa two years ago; they have the option to buy him back for £ 27.5million, but that clause expires on June 5 and City have yet to tell Villa what they intend to do about a man who has been billed as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho.

The man City want in Birmingham, however, is England international Grealish and Guardiola will be hopeful he will help refresh a side that could achieve the club owners’ ultimate ambition in Porto by becoming European champions.