Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara has backed the club to take concrete steps towards completing the move for Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish.
Grealish has found himself in the cross-hairs of several notable Premier League sides, including Tottenham and Manchester United, after producing an utterly impressive season.
Even though Aston Villa endured an underwhelming league campaign, preserving their top-flight status only on the final matchday, the 24-year-old has been a rare bright spot.
The midfielder’s tally of eight goals and six assists has not gone unnoticed, and a summer departure is very much on the cards.
Although the Lions are desperate to keep their captain at Villa Park beyond the transfer window, they could as well be powerless to stop his exit should an elite club come knocking on the door.
Jose Mourinho, who plots a squad reshape ahead of the new season, is keeping close tabs on Grealish and could make an offer in the upcoming period.
Ex-Spurs man Jamie O’Hara has now encouraged the Portuguese manager to make an attempt to lure Grealish to London, though insisting the £80million price tag is exaggerated.
“He’s [Grealish] had a great season, he would be brilliant for Spurs,” he told talkSPORT.
“We should have got him a season ago when he was a lot cheaper. I don’t know if Spurs have got the money, maybe if they offload a couple. He would be great.
“I think it’s time for him to step up if he wants to be an England player; he needs to be a team near the top six.
“He’s not worth £80m; I love him, but in the current market, absolutely no chance [is he worth that].”
Tottenham hold a long-standing interest in Grealish but have so far failed to convince Aston Villa to sanction the move.
Mourinho’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino was also a huge admirer of the Englishman’s qualities but had never managed to pull off the deal.