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Manchester City and England midfielder Jack Grealish is 'on the verge' of signing a major sponsorship contract with Gucci worth seven figures, according to reports.
The 26-year-old attacking midfielder completed a record-breaking £100 million move to Premier League champions City from boyhood club Aston Villa last summer after months of speculation surrounding his future.
Grealish, who made 213 appearances for the Villains over eight seasons, is believed to have penned a mammoth six-year deal at the Etihad worth a reported £300,000-a-week.
Grealish would inherit the number 10 shirt from club legend Sergio Aguero; a piece of news that he found out when entering the dressing room on his first day. "I didn't even know I was going to be number 10!", Grealish beamed.
His stock has risen dramatically in recent years and sponsorshop deals have followed.
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The most expensive British player of all time has appeared in the European Championship with England last summer, and is set to feature at the World Cup this year after a solid season under Pep Guardiola at City.
With all that in mind, Grealish is all set to sign a major endorsement deal with Italian high-end luxury fashion house Gucci.
The Athletic claim that Gucci are about to make the former Aston Villa man an official ambassador, which is thought to be unprecedented for a sportsperson.
He will also earn a seven-figure sum to promote its brand and products, adds the report.
Grealish's form for Manchester City this season has been steady. He has scored five goals in 30 games in all competitions for the Blues, but some have criticised his performances in recent months.
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Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, believes the obsession with people defining a player based on statistics alone is a big problem in football.
The Spaniard was speaking about Grealish at a press conference last month when he brought up the issue of players overanalysing their overall numbers and goal contributions.
Guardiola is happy with Grealish's performances. In fact, the former Barcelona boss has urged the midfielder to focus on his football instead of the noise surrounding his output.
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"Maybe he listened too much to what the people say and it’s wrong," Guardiola said at a recent press conference.
"We always talk about the statistics. Players today play for the statistics, but this is the biggest mistake they can do.
"Statistics are just a bit of information that we have, but there are players that make the team play good and are not in the statistics. Players say, 'How many goals did I score or how many assists'… this is the problem.
"These statistics never existed before. It’s how you play if you perform to your maximum, to your best, help your team-mates to make the process defensively and offensively better, that is enough. Thanks to that we are going to win."
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Football DailyTopics: Jack Grealish, Manchester City, England, Premier League
