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Jack Grealish is a target for London giants Chelsea, according to reports.

The Stamford Bridge giants are the latest club to be linked with a move for the Villa youngster and TEAMtalk are reporting that a £30m deal is on the table for Villa with the option of Grealish heading back to Villa on loan for the coming season.

They are the latest club to be linked with a move for Grealish and join the likes of Leicester, Newcastle, Everton, Spurs and West Ham.

Fulham – the team who defeated Aston Villa in the play-off final to trigger financial chaos at Villa Park – have also been linked with a shock summer move.

Highly-rated 22-year-old Grealish is expected to move on this summer as Tony Xia and his trusted Villa Park associates desperately try to raise funds.

Manchester United and Arsenal have also been mooted as shock destinations for the Solihull-born Villa academy graduate.

Grealish made 33 appearances in claret and blue last season after recovering from a freak kidney injury which saw him miss the first three months of the campaign.

He scored three times and assisted a further six goals during a sterling second half of the season.

Grealish is set to leave Villa this summer – but the club are desperate to secure a whopping transfer fee to ease their financial concerns.

poll loading How much is Jack Grealish worth? 9000+ VOTES SO FAR Less than £15m £15-20m £21-25m £26-30m £31-40m More than £40m

Crisis talks

Aston Villa’s top brass met in London on Monday to formulate a plan in the midst of their financial crisis.

Dr Tony Xia gambled on promotion in his first two seasons as owner by bankrolling whopping transfer deals and handing out big contracts – and it’s backfired.

The Chinese businessman’s previously endless pot of money has seemingly dried up and the club has been forced to take out several emergency loans to pay wages and tax bills.

The wage bill needs to be reduced significantly while player sales will also be high on the agenda.

Xia hosted a conference call from China. Joining him for key discussions were fellow board member and ally Tracy Gu, chief commercial officer Luke Organ, director of football Steve Round and the chairman’s executive assistant Rongtian He.

Wyness' latest move - former CEO sues Villa

Keith Wyness has launched legal action against Aston Villa, according to reports.

The former CEO is suing Villa for constructive dismissal and that could cost the Championship club up to £6million.

The Telegraph broke the news following a fortnight of chaos at the club after losing in the play-off final at Wembley.

Wyness was suspended last Tuesday following a huge bust-up with owner Tony Xia after it emerged that the possibility of administration was discussed.

BirminghamLive now understands that Wyness has left the club and Xia is considering finding an interim replacement as he remains in China.

The national report also states that further legal action could be taken against two other members of staff, chief commercial offer Luke Organ and executive assistant Rongtian He but the reasons for this are unknown.

What is constructive dismissal?

Constructive dismissal is when you’re forced to leave your job against your will because of your employer’s conduct.

The reasons you leave your job must be serious, for example, they:

don’t pay you or suddenly demote you for no reason

force you to accept unreasonable changes to how you work - eg tell you to work night shifts when your contract is only for day work

let other employees harass or bully you

Your employer’s breach of contract may be one serious incident or a series of incidents that are serious when taken together.

Employer advice from the government states: "You should try and sort any issues out by speaking to your employer to solve the dispute.

"If you do have a case for constructive dismissal, you should leave your job immediately - your employer may argue that, by staying, you accepted the conduct or treatment."

Rushian's role

Aston Villa will integrate Rushian Hepburn-Murphy into the first-team next season.

The 19-year-old is set to go on the pre-season training camp to Portugal with the seniors at the start of next month.

Boss Steve Bruce will then get to have a closer look at the teenager as he aims to stay fit for the start of the season.

Hepburn-Murphy is still highly-rated at Villa but has been dogged by injuries in recent years.

Last term he made just five substitute appearances after signing a new contract at the club and now has a point to prove this summer.

The striker did finish the season with a flourish, though.

He bagged nine goals for the U23s and helped the development side with the Premier League Cup.

Villa are already two strikers down with Lewis Grabban returning to Bournemouth and Gabby Agbonlahor moving on after 13 seasons at the club so there’s an opportunity for the young strikers to stake a claim.

BirminghamLive understands that Villa will reject any loan bids for Hepburn-Murphy, too.

As for fellow young striker Keinan Davis, he continues to attract interest from the Premier League.

Villa want to keep hold of him after he made an impact last term, but a big offer could see him leave.

Both Hepburn-Murphy and Davis were part of the travelling squad for the play-off final defeat to Fulham but neither made the matchday 18.

It's also understood that another striker on loan will be sourced before the start of the season.

Coton move confirmed

Stewart Donald is delighted Sunderland have secured the services of the man who played a ‘vital role in reshaping Aston Villa’s squad’.

The League One outfit confirmed the appointment of Tony Coton as their new head of recruitment.

The announcement comes a few days after BirminghamLive revealed Coton was set to leave Villa Park.

And the Black Cats’ new owner is happy to have such an experienced operator in an area where Sunderland have struggled for several seasons.

“I am delighted to welcome Tony to Sunderland,” Donald said .

“Recruitment is fundamental for any football club and in Tony we have a man with significant experience and contacts in this vital area.

“He is passionate, honest and hard working – the exact qualities we want in anyone coming to this football club.

“He has a tremendous knowledge of English football and understands what characteristics are required, on and off the pitch, to achieve success.

“Tony played a vital role in reshaping Aston Villa’s squad and ensuring it was equipped to do well in the Football League.

“His appointment will help ensure we can hit the ground running and attract the right type of players to Sunderland.”

Scotland starlet linked

Aston Villa are plotting a potential move for Scotland midfielder John McGinn, according to reports.

McGinn, who plays for Scottish Premiership side Hibs, is on Villa's radar as they consider shopping for bargains north of the border, reports the Daily Record.

Villa need to sell players to fall in line with Financial Fair Play rules this summer and will also look to trim the wage bill.

They will still look to add to the squad and the club's recruitment team are said to have lined up McGinn as an option.

Hibs boss Neil Lennon has slapped a £5m price tag on the 23-year-old who has been capped nine times by Scotland having made his international debut in 2016.

Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers have also been linked with McGinn, who made 43 appearances last season, scoring six goals and making eight assists.

Hibs chief executive Leeane Dempster has admitted that the club expect to field interest for McGinn during the transfer window.

"John's value is in the team. If John doesn't go in the transfer window this season, I won't be disappointed," Dempster told Sky Sports.

"Neil won't be disappointed, the supporters won't be disappointed. We don't live and die by transfer fees.

"If we were to receive a transfer fee for a player of some significance, of course that would be welcome. That is balanced by the impact it would have on the team.

"John's a magnificent young player. I would be very surprised if we're not tested by a number of clubs."

McGinn signed for Hibs in 2015 from St Mirren and has played 130 times for the Easter Road club.

The numbers

Financial realities have hit hard at Aston Villa, with the club facing serious cost-cutting ahead of another season in the Championship.

Odds on Villa being relegated have plummeted after a tumultuous week for the club which has seen chief executive Keith Wyness depart.

But what is really happening? We have gathered together 10 key statistics which tell the story of Aston Villa's finances right now.

£40m

This is the amount Villa need to raise in order to remain on the right side of Financial Fair play.

£45m

The wage bill Villa will carry into the next season. That is significantly down on the £61.5 million they're thought to have spent last year but still more than Premier League teams Brighton and Huddersfield and more than all three promoted teams paid last year.

£87.9m

Spent on signing players in 2016/17. More than £30 million of that was still owed to other clubs by the end of the financial year.

500

More than 500 fewer people worked for Aston Villa in 2017 than 2016 - including 140 fewer full-time staff.

£6m

How much sacked chief executive Keith Wyness is suing the club for.

£15m

The amount Villa need to wipe off their annual wage bill, according to reports.

(Image: Birmingham Mail)

£30m

How much Tony Xia is looking for from investors into the club.

£160 million

The cost of losing the Championship playoff final to Fulham.

62%

The number of Villa fans who responded to our poll saying they wanted Steve Bruce to stay on.

£16m

The parachute payment the club will get next year, down from £36 million this season.