Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter by email with the day's key headlines and transfer news Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Aston Villa's management staff know Jack Grealish wants to quit the club.

They have been told. The player himself let his feelings be known to the away support at the end of Monday night's victory over Hull City after being substituted.

Grealish isn't being advised to hand in a transfer request - his advisors aren't quite so brash.

The Solihull-born playmaker knows that it is one thing letting it be known that you are happy to leave.

It is another one altogether to publicly force the issue at a club you've professed to love since childhood.

(Image: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)

The backlash would not be pretty. Being seen as one of the supporters' own has its advantages. Any player is cut that little more slack. But the reverse is true when it comes to feelings of the heart.

If you were in Grealish's shoes, faced with the same choice, what would you do?

Before the money mess that threatened to rip the club apart, Grealish's plan was simple - and it was one with which all parties concerned agreed.

He would remain at Villa Park for another season. He has, after all, just one full campaign under his belt.

Now, with Spurs' interest very real, the picture has changed.

His choice appears straightforward.

Do you a) stay at Aston Villa, play your football in the Championship, earning just shy of £1m-a-year, in the hope that a megabucks contract, promotion and a bright new dawn is around the corner at a club you've supported since a boy?

Or do you b) want to earn a basic of £50,000-per-week, sit on the bench more often than not and try to force your way into Mauricio Pochettino's thinking with the lure of the Premier League and Champions League on the near horizon?

(Image: PA)

There are alternatives off the back of these two obvious choices.

Grealish, now 22, could stay and take advantage of the new contract offered to him by Villa's owners.

Or he could just sit tight for two seasons, see where his football takes him and then be free to pocket untold millions for himself as a free agent when his deal at Villa Park runs out.

At this stage, from a purely financial viewpoint, if Grealish continues his upward trajectory there is every reason to believe he would be one of the most valuable Bosmans in Premier League history.

Surely a carrot?

But footballers tend not to back their ability in this way. It is a fluid profession. Open to injury, loss of form, fall-out with the manager. The list goes on.

(Image: Getty)

Which brings us neatly on to Villa boss Steve Bruce.

The picture has changed so dramatically for the better at Villa Park thanks to the bulging wallets of new owners Nassef Sawaris and Wes Edens.

Spurs' original offer – made when ex-owner Dr Tony Xia was caught slap-bang in the middle of a financial maelstrom was laughable.

Made through an intermediary it valued Grealish at £3m plus Josh Onomah. Now Villa can't be pushed around any more a bid has come in at £25m.

Some hike, that, eh?

Levy has played these games before. He tried and succeeded with Gareth Bale, for instance. He tried – and failed (to his benefit) - with Saido Berahino.

(Image: Getty Images)

On the other side of the fence, Bruce is a wizened operator. Villa's new owners are being schooled by super-agent Jorge Mendes and ex-Manchester United chief Peter Kenyon.

Villa's boss doesn't want to sell his best player. He's going to be under pressure to deliver results.

Simple question: Do you do that with Jack Grealish, or without him?

It's a no-brainer. Bruce is on the same page as Villa's supporters.

(Image: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)

And then there is the issue of Financial Fair Play.

It is understood that Villa had issues with that anyway. However, they are not alone. Up to eight other clubs in the Championship have broken the rules.

As Grealish is a product of the club's academy, all of the money raised would be offset against the kind of spending that landed Xia in trouble in the first place.

But if you have a fortune measured in billions, is that so much of an issue?

The owners are, according to Bruce 'adamant' that Grealish won't be sold. It would send a statement to the supporters, for sure.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters)

And it would leave the player in a tricky spot. He would then need to knuckle down – with just £20,000-a-week for his efforts, instead of £50,000.

But there is always the possibility – and the noises coming from Villa Park over the past few days support this theory – that the Birmingham club is going to make serious moves in the loan market when the window closes.

That adds another level of intrigue to the whole affair.

Bruce hasn't ruled out Grealish's sale. There will come a point where Spurs' offer is too good to turn down. That point has not yet been reached.

Spurs will have to broker a deal in excess of £25m as a down payment – plus add-ons - before Villa blink. To make it justifiable to the fans, it will have to top £30m.

The player wants to go, the agents are obviously keen for him to go. The owners will take a decision under advisement.

The question is: 'How highly do Daniel Levy and Spurs actually rate Jack Grealish?'

The clock is ticking. And the answer we will find out very soon.