Bent: Grealish will join Man Utd, Man City or Spurs

Manchester United, Manchester City and Spurs all have a chance of signing Jack Grealish this summer, but Old Trafford is his most likely next destination, according to Darren Bent.

The Aston Villa midfielder is a man in demand after playing a starring role for the club during their first season back in the Premier League following their successful promotion bid.

Dean Smith's side are 19th in the top-flight standings at the moment, three points from safety with a game in hand on relegation rivals Bournemouth, Watford and West Ham.

A leaky defence has undermined Villa's efforts in the final third, with Grealish emerging as the team's main source of both goals and assists.

The 24-year-old has scored nine goals and set up another eight in 31 appearances across all competitions, attracting attention from some of the biggest clubs in England in the process.

He was also being tipped to earn a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the European Championship before the tournament was pushed back a year due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The 2019-20 campaign has been suspended indefinitely amid the ongoing fight against Covid-19, with the opening of the summer transfer window likely to be delayed until it is safe for the action to resume.

United have reportedly already identified Grealish as a priority target, but Bent believes City and Spurs could also be in the running to secure his signature, and that a move to any of the three clubs in question would appeal to the Villa star.

“I think Jack Grealish has got his sights set on maybe three teams," the former Villa and Tottenham striker told Football Insider.

“I would say probably Manchester United, Manchester City, and potentially maybe Spurs.

“I think they’re the three that are looking at him, and he’s eyeing them thinking ‘I’d like to go to one of them’.

“I’d probably put Man United at the very, very top of that. If that doesn’t happen and Villa go down, you never know, but for me, he’s got his eye on them.”

Grealish was also in the headlines in March for all the wrong reasons amid ongoing speculation over his future, after breaching coronavirus lockdown rules to attend a party.

He has since issued a public apology for his actions, with a police investigation underway after he crashed his Range Rover into two parked cars in Solihull, near Birmingham.