Tottenham still being linked with move for Aston Villa star

Tottenham continue to be linked with Jack Grealish despite the Aston Villa midfielder’s new contract.

Grealish has signed a five-year deal at Villa, who are determined to ensure his long-term future is with them.

Spurs showed an interest in him during the summer and reports suggested chairman Daniel Levy was haggling over the price in an attempt to capitalise on Villa’s financial problems.

The situation was drastically changed by a takeover of the Championship club and Villa have since spent heavily in an attempt to secure a return to the top flight.

Even so, there is speculation that a release clause in Grealish’s new deal could still pave the way for a move.

The Times say the release clause is for £45m and suggest Spurs could return with another attempt to buy him, albeit for significantly more than he would have cost in the summer.

The newspaper say Grealish was only persuaded to sign a new deal at Villa after the clause was inserted.

Meanwhile, a number of newspapers report that Tottenham will be without Dele Alli for a month because of a hamstring problem.

That would rule the England playmaker out of Spurs’ upcoming Champions League clash with Barcelona.