Tottenham could have signed red-hot Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish for just £6million 18 months ago, reports claim.
Grealish, who is preparing to face Spurs at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, has dazzled this season with seven goals and five assists while he has also been linked with a move to Manchester United this summer.
And according to The Sun, the Birmingham-born midfielder was on the verge of making a switch to the north London club, before Spurs chairman Daniel Levy reduced his offer for the 24-year-old.
Villa were willing to sell their talisman and captain for the cut-price fee as they desperately needed the money, but Levy, determined to drive a hard bargain, reduced his offer to £4m, knowing the club needed the funds or faced going into administration.
The Spurs squad were about to fly off to LA for their pre-season tour and Levy’s no-nonsense negotiating backfired because by the time they landed in the United States, Villa had been bought by billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
And that meant they were no longer skint and Villa Park chiefs changed their asking price to £40m.
Levy then considered a £20m offer but knew it would be rejected so he pulled the plug on a deal for the playmaker.
The following season, Grealish led the Midlands club back to the Premier League via play-offs, where they overcame Derby in the final at Wembley.
Tim Sherwood hails Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish
