Report: Grealish set for record-breaking £100M move to Manchester City

Manchester City are close to signing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in a deal that would make the playmaker the most expensive British footballer ever and smash the Premier League transfer record, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein.

Barring any unexpected hitches, Grealish will sign a five-year contract with the Premier League champions after the two clubs agreed to a £100-million fee.

City hope to complete the switch before Saturday's Community Shield meeting with Leicester City, ESPN's Mark Ogden reports.

Welsh attacker Gareth Bale has been the priciest British player in history since his £85-million transfer to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur eight years ago. The current highest sum a Premier League side has paid for a player came when Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United for £89 million in 2016.

Grealish, a boyhood Villa fan who has represented the club from the age of six, pledged his future to the Villans last September when he signed an improved five-year contract. He was offered fresh terms before joining England's Euro 2020 squad earlier this summer, but Villa weren't prepared to stand in his way if they received a suitable bid that would satisfy Grealish's desire to play Champions League football.

Villa appear to have already prepared for Grealish's exit. Emiliano Buendia arrived from Norwich City for around £33 million in June, and Leon Bailey was signed from Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday for a reported £30 million. Dean Smith's outfit missed out on signing Emile Smith Rowe when the 21-year-old inked a new contract with Arsenal, but the club could step up its interest in Burnley's Dwight McNeil after collecting the windfall from the Grealish move.

Incredibly, acquiring Grealish might not be City's costliest summer transfer, as they're linked with an approach for Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane. The England captain missed two days of training while trying to force a move from Spurs, but his reported £160-million asking price may prove too much for City.

Grealish has tended to operate on the left side of Villa's attack, a spot that either Phil Foden or Raheem Sterling currently occupy at City. But sources told The Athletic's Sam Lee that Pep Guardiola intends to deploy him as a No. 8, rotating with Ilkay Gundogan.