Grealish returns De Bruyne compliment as Man City transfer links emerge

Jack Grealish has returned the compliment to Kevin De Bruyne after transfer links for the Aston Villa captain with Manchester City emerged.

England midfielder Grealish was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United last summer, but opted to stay put at his boyhood club.

It has now emerged that he is being lined up by Pep Guardiola as a possible option, who is said to be a long-term admirer of the 25-year-old.

And it appears that would put him alongside his favourite player right now in De Bruyne.

He told UMM when asked how he rated his first touch: “I do some alright touches… but come on, we need to put a but of respect on Bruno [Fernandes] and KDB – he’s my favourite player.

“I think he’s probably just the most perfect footballer in the Prem. I just try and take little bits really out of his game.”

De Bruyne said a few months ago that he is a big fan of Grealish and the creativity that he brings to the sides he is in, even admitting that he has talked about him with his City team-mates.

“I rate him very highly,” De Bruyne expressed ahead of Belgium’s win over England last year.

“He’s somebody I mentioned before, talking to the teammates at City, in a random conversation.

“In England they talked about creative problems in midfield, but he brings that to a team. He deserves a shot.”

City are expected to back Guardiola in the transfer market this summer.

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Agents expect City to go big in the next transfer window with a left back, a new centre forward and a No6 on the shopping list as they prepare to strengthen again.

It remains to be seen exactly where Grealish would fit in in that case, with a deeper-lying role expected to be where a gap could possibly one up.

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