‘Financial fair play rules are a JOKE’: City, Pep and Grealish mocked following news of $140 MILLION bid for Aston Villa ace

Football fans have reacted to news that Manchester City are reportedly closing in on smashing the British transfer record by paying $140 million for England and Aston Villa star Jack Grealish after Euro 2020.

Several outlets reported the development on Friday, as Grealish prepares to take on Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020 early next week. 

Fresh off a Premier League and Carabao Cup domestic double, City fell short of winning the Champions League when beaten 1-0 by Chelsea in a Porto final last month.

Looking to bolster their squad, sources confirmed to ESPN that Grealish is a top target for City alongside his Three Lions skipper Harry Kane, who has gone public with his desire to leave boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur.

And while the Abu Dhabi-backed outfit are still yet to test Spurs' resolve on Kane, it is alleged that a £100 million ($140 million) package is being prepared for 25-year-old Grealish, which would shatter the $124 million British record fee cross-city rivals Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016.

Fans have reacted to the buzz online, with a mixture of criticism for the Mancunians' conduct, Pep Guardiola's legacy and Grealish's true value.

"Signing Grealish and Kane for $100M+ each? Financial fair play rules are a joke," scoffed one journalist.

"Financial Fair Play doesn't apply to oil clubs," came another.

"And the fans were ranting about the Super League eliminating fairness from the EPL? You don’t have a fair league already when one team buys all the best players."

"How much cash does Pep want?" asked someone else.

"I have always said that Pep is not a good manager and rather a checkbook manager." 

"Have always said it. Pep isn't all that. [Thomas] Tuchel showed us. I want to see him work the same magic [the way] Tuchel did with the Chelsea squad," it was demanded.

"What did Grealish ever do to be valued at £100 million?," another disgruntled party posed, as his true price tag was put at "70 or 80 million tops".

"£30 million for being a good player, £70 million for being English," someone else concluded, in a nod to how homegrown players are often overpriced in the Premier League.

Elsewhere, it was noted how the biggest winners in all this could be Aston Villa - who will profit enormously on an academy product and can then use the cash for a string of reinforcements.

The potential windfall was compared to that which Leicester City experienced with the sale of Harry Maguire to Manchester United for $111 million, which made him the world's most expensive defender in 2019.

Since then, the Foxes have gone on to win the FA Cup while also mounting a respectable push for Champions League qualification under Brendan Rodgers.