Former Aston Villa player Alan Hutton feels that it is up to Jack Grealish if he wants to leave Manchester City and join his former club.
The England international left Villa Park in 2021 for a reported fee of £100million.
He has bee a successful signing for the Premier League champions since joining the club.
Grealish helped Pep Guardiola’s men win the treble last season as he was a crucial part of the club’s starting line up.
However, this season he has been in and out of the team due to fitness issues and the arrival of Jeremy Doku.
There have been question marks over the future of the midfielder with some people suggesting a move back to Villa Park could be possible.
It remain to be seen what the future holds for the 28-year-old midfielder but former Villa player Hutton believes that Champions League qualification could aid his return.
“Absolutely, I mean he’s a quality player,” Hutton told Villa News.
“I think everything will come down to what they value him at, his wages, is it actually true that he’s going to move on or is it just a rumour? There are a lot of things that go along with it, but he is a difference-maker.
“He’s played there before, he knows what it is all about because he’s grown up in the club. Of course, he still keeps in touch with people, so do I and I’ve been away since 2019 or whatever it was.
“He is always going to have that special connection with the club, getting the Champions League will help but it is going to be down to Jack.
“I’m not so sure what he’s got left on his contract there, but if he genuinely does want to move and I’m not so sure this could just be a rumour, does he make that squad better? Absolutely he does.”
Unai Emery would love to sign a player like Grealish who could bring quality and a winning mentality to the team.
However, Grealish would consider a move to Villa as a step down in his career after tasting success at the Etihad Stadium.
Aston Villa fan favourite should stay at Man City
The England international is currently struggling to cement his place in the team but he is more than good enough to do that as he has shown it in the past.
A move back to Villa Park would be an emotional one and it would make sense a little later in his career.
At this point, Grealish should not pass up the opportunity to play with the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne.
The lure of being managed by Pep Guardiola, arguably the best manager in the world, is difficult to ignore.