Rumours - Stoke, Everton and Spurs interested in Grealish

Silly season has begun for transfer rumours and inevitably Aston Villa players are a target. The Telegraph is reporting that several Premier League clubs are monitoring Jack Grealish with Stoke City the main suitors, while Everton and Tottenham Hotspur might also be interested.

While it's always good to be cautious about a single article, there's some back-up from the Birmingham Mail which adds Watford to the flock of vultures but also mentions:

Aston Villa have warned Premier League clubs circling Jack Grealish that the attacking midfielder is not for sale.

Villa have already rebuffed one enquiry from a top flight club about the 20-year-old Bodymoor Heath academy graduate.

The interest may have been prompted by Grealish's role in England u-21's victory in the Toulon Tournament in France where he scored twice in the 7-1 victory over Guinea. A young English player with potential will always interest clubs looking to boost their homegrown quotas.

However Grealish signed a four-year contract in October 2014 and there are no hints of a release clause, unlike the rumours flying around Ciaran Clark (who signed his five-year deal last summer) or Idrissa Gana.

Villa should be in a strong negotiating position to decide if it's time to cash in on the slightly tarnished young star or build a side around him in the Championship.