Manchester City have made a British record £100m offer for Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish.

The Manchester Evening News says the opening salvo in one of the summer's biggest transfers has just been fired.

City have made it plain they will break the English record to land the England international, who - according to those close to him - is split between sticking with his boyhood club and moving to City, where he has a far greater chance of winning trophies and enhancing his England status.

The rumours about Grealish have grown over the last week, with City's chase of Tottenham striker Harry Kane hitting a hiatus, with some reports claiming a deal was at an advanced stage.

But the first concrete move in the saga has now taken place, with City making their initial bid - which shows they are prepared to pay more than 50 percent above their current club record, and stump up the English game's first nine-figure sum.