West Ham head coach Graham Potter is “open to the prospect” of signing Manchester City star Jack Grealish this summer, according to reports.

TBRFootball claim that the Hammers have joined the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham and Newcastle in pursuing the 29-year-old.

Grealish was not included in the squad for the Club World Cup, with City manager Pep Guardiola having made it clear that he can find a new team.

So far, no club has made a formal approach for the England international, but it seems Potter is keen on the player making the move to the London Stadium if the finances can be made to work.

Grealish is appreciated by his teammates

Even though Guardiola appears to be washing his hands of the player, Grealish’s abilities have never been undervalued by those he plays with. Speaking after the 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest back in December, Kevin De Bruyne said:

“Jack is so good at controlling the tempo of the game, at holding the ball,” said Player of the Match De Bruyne after the game. You can’t really get it off him, and then sliding through plays. That’s his quality. Maybe with the type of guys we have on the flanks, he’s very good at that.”

“I think we needed a bit more control and he was able to do that with Bernardo, Gundo and myself in the middle, and Jeremy who is a different player and very electric. I think we performed well as a team but I think Jack did exceptional.”

West Ham can only afford a loan

Reports over the past couple of months suggest that City are demanding a fee in the region of £40m to £45m for Grealish, which is not a figture the Irons will be prepared to pay.

A loan deal is believed to be more realistic, but even then, a lot would hinge on his current club taking on the majority of his £300,000 a week salary.

In other news, we list the five Premier League clubs who are favourites to be relegated next season