Smith indicates Jack Grealish will cost a lot of money for potential suitors

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has indicated that Jack Grealish won’t come on the cheap for his suitors irrespective of whether the Villains get promoted or not. The Villains skipper penned a fresh five-year deal with the club in September and he has since played an influential role in the club’s progress to the Championship play-off final for the second-straight season.

Speaking in a press conference, Smith highlighted that the midfielder committed to the club on a new long-term deal at the beginning of the season and that has put them in a strong position to command a significant sum for a future sale, he said: “He’s signed a brand-new contract at the start of the season, committing himself to the football club. He loves Aston Villa and he’ll want nothing more than to get promoted with Aston Villa. If we don’t go up he’ll cost someone a hell of a lot of money if they want to buy him. He is committed to Aston Villa and we’ve not even spoken about it otherwise.”

The west Midlands outfit had faced a somewhat of a financial crisis under Tony Xia last summer but they were rescued from the situation with the change of ownership. When asked whether the club could suffer from another financial breakdown, Smith indicated that the club are in a much better position this time around and they won’t be compelled to sell Grealish, should they fail to seal promotion to the English top-flight.

Villa have been receiving parachute payments from the Premier League over the past three years but they stand no chance of extending the same beyond the current campaign. However, they could be boosted with finances of around £170m, should they overcome Derby County during this weekend’s Championship play-off final. Villa go into the game as the front-runners after doing the double over Derby during the league campaign.