Jack Grealish and his Aston Villa have managed to survive 2019/20 by the skin of their teeth. Still, even though Dean Smith has secured another campaign in the Premier League he could now be losing one of his biggest stars.

Of course, Grealish does seem a bit out of place at a relegation-battling team so it would be quite surprising if he didn't join a top-tier team eventually. One of those teams could very well be Manchester United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's pursuit of Jadon Sancho has hit a brick wall and now, the Red Devils are looking for alternatives. Grealish could be that option.

However, Aston Villa value him at £75m and while that is cheaper than what Borussia Dortmund want for their star, it's still a sizable sum. But there is another twist in the story.

According to the Daily Star, Smith would be interested in acquiring Sergio Romero and Diogo Dalot as makeweight for Grealish. That way, both clubs could get what they want - Villa their defensive reinforcements and Man United the star midfielder.

Of course, Grealish is not Sancho but this could still be a deal that could appeal to Solskjaer. For Smith, however, it still poses a serious question: how does he replace Grealish if he really does end up leaving?

They barely survived relegation with him in the squad, what will their fate be without him then?

Verdict

There are obviously two sides to this coin. On one hand, Villa get their defensive boost as both Romero and Dalot could potentially improve their team. But on the other, they will lose their best player by far.

This, of course, is a big gamble for Smith but how long can they realistically keep Grealish at the camp anyway? Maybe it's time they cashed in and then re-invested that money into the team.