Has Jack Grealish scuppered his dream move to Manchester United?

Right now, everyone seems to have an opinion about what the future holds for Jack Grealish.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie thinks it 'will be a big ask' for the club to keep him, Michael Owen says that Grealish's 'heart is set' on a move to Manchester United while John McGinn suggested his in-demand team-mate has had nothing but tunnel-focus for Villa this season.

But the 90 minutes on the final day at West Ham in which Grealish scored a brilliant goal to help Villa get the point they needed to avoid relegation could yet prove decisive in many respects.

Villa did brilliantly to close the seven-point gap from safety as of July 12 to survive at the expense of Watford and Bournemouth, with Villa fan Grealish getting the key contribution in the final game to confirm safety.

While he has been monitored all season long by interested clubs, survival means Villa are under no pressure to sanction a cut-price deal for their biggest asset.

Manchester United, only a matter of weeks ago, may have sensed a summer bargain could have been in the offing had Villa dropped down to the second tier. What Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now faces is the likelihood of a huge outlay to land one of his primary targets.

Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris has reportedly placed an £80million price-tag on Jack Grealish this summer, according to the Mirror.

That figure comes in at the same price Leicester held out for when they saw Harry Maguire move to Old Trafford last summer.

Villa are well within their rights to stand their ground.

Had they gone down, the financial impact would have been greater outside the Premier League than remaining in it, undoubtedly.

Bournemouth and Watford will be expected to cash in on key players to ease any concerns but for Villa, the performance of Grealish and his team-mates in east London has made those conversations redundant.

Grealish is 24, in a clear ascendancy early in his career and is pushing for international recognition with England after another impressive campaign.

With United also pursuing Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, in a move expected to be close to £100m, a move for both may prove a stretch following on from the coronavirus pandemic.

United have a wealth of resources having qualified for the Champions League but Villa's safety strengthens their hand, not United's, when it comes to Grealish.

He is under contract at Villa Park until 2023 on £60,000-a-week, but he could double his wages with a move away to a club like Manchester United.

For Owen, who previously played for United, it is a move the player wants this summer.

'I think he's after Manchester United as well,' Owen told Premier League Productions. 'I'm told he has his heart set on Manchester United. I'd be surprised if he went anywhere else.'

Whether Owen is right or not remains up for debate but as the dust settles on what was a huge finale to the season for Villa, questions will continue to be asked on the midfielder either until a deal is done or the window closes and we move on with 2020-21.

Grealish is a huge favourite among team-mates, coaching staff and supporters and the club captain showed all his passion in the wild celebrations away to West Ham.

McGinn, who knows better than most how Grealish ticks, told Birmingham Live: 'Jack scored a massive goal for this club and no-one can get away from that. He woke up on Sunday and we had a chat, all the focus was on keeping Villa in this league.

'Our focus last season was getting the club promoted, our focus this year was keeping them in the league and we have managed to do that. What happens now I am not sure but Jack is still contracted here. It has been a privilege to play alongside him and hopefully that continues but you never know in football.'

Grealish fits the profile of what United are targeting since Solskjaer took over permanently: young, homegrown and yet to hit their full potential.

Solskjaer made moves for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Maguire and Daniel James with a view to improving each of them.

Were United to be successful in bringing Grealish in, playing alongside players such as Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba would unquestionably further his development as one of the most exciting players in the top flight.

But his moment of magic in east London could see the brakes pumped on that switch to Manchester. With Villa in the driving seat, it is now judgement time for Solskjaer.