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Why Leicester City should dodge this £40m Championship bullet despite Mahrez’s potential departure

Leicester City are mulling over making an offer for Aston Villa’s promising midfielder Jack Grealish this summer, according to reports from Sky Sports. 

With star man Riyad Mahrez inching towards a £75million move to Manchester City, the Foxes are keen on replacing him and have identified the talented Grealish as one of the viable options to do so. However, he will not come cheaply as Villa are set to demand a staggering £40million for their prized asset.  

Grealish is a product of the Villa youth academy and he burst on to the scene towards the end of the 2013/14 campaign. He made his debut in the Premier League back in May 2014 in a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City.

The attacking midfielder grew into a useful squad member over the next couple of seasons and has truly come into his own in the last two years. Having scored 5 and assisted 5 in 34 games in the 2016/17 season, Grealish managed to record a return of 3 goals and 8 assists in the same number of appearances in the 2017/18 term.

Villa might have failed to secure a promotion to the top-flight but Grealish played a key role in their run-up to the playoff stages.

Having represented the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels, Grealish switched allegiance to England in 2016 and has gone on to make 21 appearances for the Three Lions’ U-21 outfit, scoring twice in the process. 

Primarily an attacking midfielder, the 22-year-old can also play on the flanks or as a withdrawn central midfielder. However, he is at his best when playing behind the striker and exploiting the spaces between the lines.

A good dribbler with decent ground speed, Grealish has the ability to run at defenders with the ball and possesses a keen eye for a pass as well. On the flipside, his finishing requires work and he isn’t the most committed to doing the defensive work when not in possession.  

While there are no questions about his talent, it must be noted that the player struggles with maintaining consistency. The 22-year-old can be sublime in one game and then suddenly go anonymous the next time out. Despite showing plenty of promise, the England U-21 international still remains a raw and unpolished talent.

Shelling out as much as £40million to sign him as a replacement for Mahrez may not be the right move for the Foxes. Grealish has what it takes to grow into a prominent player but expecting him to fill the shoes of a player as critical as Mahrez may end up backfiring.