Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has said Tottenham are not “anywhere near” the asking price for English star Jack Grealish.

The midfielder has been linked with a move to Tottenham (h/t Sky Sports) for a large part of the summer. Spurs were looking to take advantage of Villa’s financial problems by trying to sign Grealish on a cut-price deal.

However, the takeover of the Championship club by Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens has ensured Bruce that players will not be sold on the cheap.

The manager was quoted by Sky Sports as saying:

“I don’t think we’ve had a formal bid. There’s been discussions and that’s been going on all summer. The one thing the owners have made pretty clear is that no-one is for sale.

“We don’t want to lose our best players, but they’re aware of course that everyone has their price. The best thing the owners have been able to do is not let anybody go on the cheap.”

Bruce also confirmed that clubs would have to pay a premium for any Villa player that they may want to sign. The former Manchester United player further claimed that Tottenham’s bid was not enough to start a discussion with the owners of Villa.

“We all know what football is, but at the moment Spurs haven’t got anywhere near what the owners want to consider – so there’s not a discussion to be had at the moment, because they’ve not got anywhere near the figure they demand.”

Read more: Tottenham willing to let star trio depart the club in the coming days

Grealish was one of the better players for Villa last season as they missed out on the Premier League after losing in the playoffs. Should he seal a move to Tottenham, the midfielder will not only have a chance of playing in the Premier League but also in the Champions League.