Manchester United are reportedly ready to try using Jesse Lingard in a swap transfer deal for Aston Villa star Jack Grealish.
Lingard has been in superb form since leaving Man Utd for a loan spell at West Ham this January, and he’s now set to be a man in demand this summer.
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West Ham hope to sign the England international permanently, but he’s also been linked with Aston Villa in recent times, and that could be of the most interest to United.
The Red Devils have a long-standing interest in Villa captain Grealish, who is another of the Premier League’s outstanding attacking midfield players.
It remains to be seen if an agreement can be struck, but United are now weighing up using Lingard as bait to persuade Villa to finally let Grealish go, according to reports.
Lingard could be a tempting option for Villa to help them replace Grealish, even if they’ll undoubtedly be reluctant to let their star player leave.
The 25-year-old has previously been valued at as much as £90-100million, but the inclusion of the in-form Lingard could help bring that price down.
It seems only a matter of time before Grealish joins a bigger club, and this could end up being decent business for Villa as Lingard is an underrated talent.
It would be a big blow for West Ham, however, with Lingard proving to be a great loan signing and a player the Hammers could do with keeping permanently.