Jack Grealish warned over Manchester United move amid transfer interest

Aston Villa star Jack Grealish is a transfer target for Manchester United in the summer transfer window but has been warned over the move.

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has warned Jack Grealish that he may be better served snubbing interest from Manchester United in the summer transfer window.

Grealish is a target for United who are hoping to add at least three new players to their squad before the start of next season, the MEN understand.

The Aston Villa captain fits the profile of player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants at Old Trafford and the United boss complimented the playmaker after his man of the match performance in the 2-2 draw at back in December.

Grealish sent United fans into a frenzy earlier in the season by admitting his favourite Premier League ground was Old Trafford and plenty of supporters have called on the club to make a move for his services.

However, Lescott believes the 24-year-old may be better off elsewhere if United fail to make the top four.

"When you look at the spectrum of teams, Manchester United are still a big club but in terms of Jack Grealish’s ability, if he leaves Aston Villa he’s going to want to play Champions League and that’s not guaranteed at Man United, even in the future," he told Grand National .

"I would love to see him test himself in the highest level because I think he's capable of playing at real heights.

"He’s proven that he can really perform in a team that's been struggling this season. In terms of if he was going to move to United, it would obviously be a great move for him because it is Man United.

"But, in terms of how he can test himself against the very best, is he going to be able to do that at Man United as they’re not guaranteed Champions League football?"

Another player United have been linked with is Wolves striker Raul Jimenez. Solskjaer was questioned on reports suggesting the Mexican was a target following the draw at Molineux earlier this season but refused to be drawn on the speculation.

Again, Lescott believes Jimenez should be playing Champions League football if he chooses to depart.

He added: "The interest in Jimenez doesn't surprise me, he's performed consistently over the past two seasons and that’s the key. He's not just coming in and having good periods then going cold again.

"He's consistently done well for the team and scored goals and proving to be a lot more than just a goal scorer.

"Obviously he is their top goal scorer since he’s been there. but he’s absolutely vital to the way they play. There will, of course, be interest in him as he’s such a good player, I suppose it just depends on how realistic this interest is.

"For example, if it's Chelsea, then you may look to them as more of a possibility of playing Champions League. Whereas if you look at interest from Man United, and you look at the team’s current success - are Man United better than Wolves? Are they guaranteed to finish higher than Wolves next season? Who knows!

"Manchester United are a big club, but the best players want to play against the best players and you do that by playing in the Champions League."