Jack Grealish: Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce hopes to keep Tottenham target

Jack Grealish's reception by Villa fans after Steve Bruce substituted him late on suggested they thought it might be his last game for the club

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce says the club have not been offered enough for Tottenham target Jack Grealish and remain hopeful of keeping the winger.

Grealish, 22, has been linked with a move to Spurs before Thursday's transfer deadline.

BBC Sport understand the clubs are still around £7m apart in their valuation of the player.

"The offer we had has not been enough to be tempted. We hope he's still our player by Friday," Bruce told BBC WM.

"But the last thing we want to do is pull the wool over anyone's eyes. We all know the situation."

Speaking after his side's 3-1 season-opening win at Hull City, Bruce added: "The owners have publicly stated that they don't want him to leave. But there's a human element within that, which we all understand.

"There's a chance of Champions League football for him.

"I don't want him to go but we'll just have to see what happens. It's going to be a long three days."

Villa's travelling fans seemed to accept that it might be Birmingham-born Grealish's final game for the club after Bruce substituted the England Under-21 international late on.

"He's one of our own" was the chant from the Villa supporters as Grealish, who made the first of Villa's three goals, appeared to make a farewell gesture as he left the pitch at the KCOM Stadium.

Having joined the club at the age of six, his first taste of first-team action came as an unused substitute when he was 16 years old against Chelsea in March 2012.

He joined Notts County on loan in September 2013, playing 37 times for them in League One that season, before making his Villa debut the following August as a substitute in a Premier League win at Stoke City.

Having initially played youth football for the Republic of Ireland, Grealish switched his allegiance to England in September 2015 and was part of the squad that made the semi-finals of the 2017 European Under-21 Championships.