There's a long list of talented academy graduates that have risen through the age groups at Aston Villa, taking their chance in the first-team and leaving for a substantial fee later down the line.
Creating a legacy for blooding through the youth, Villa have seen a number of their very own become household names.
Gareth Barry, who graduated through the club's academy and made his debut for the club in 1998, went on to become one of the most iconic midfielders in the Premier League – and his record of 652 appearances still stands as the most in the competitions' history.
Likewise, Gary Cahill, Gabby Agbonlahor, Lee Hendrie and Steven Davis have all emphasized the academy's success, particularly during the early 2000s as Villa showcased their ability to churn out talent at a rapid rate.
In the present day, Jacob Ramsey is the latest academy star to become a revelation in the first-team, while Carney Chukwuemeka, Cameron Archer and Jaden Philogene all departed the club for big money moves this summer, and they aren't the only ones to have done so in recent times.
After making a club-record £100m move to Manchester City in 2021, Jack Grealish became the most prolific example of the gems that Villa have unearthed.
When did Grealish make his Villa debut?
On May 7th 2014, a teenage star was born as Grealish made his Premier League debut against his future employers, Man City and although many knew of his precocious talents, few would have envisaged him achieving the success he has today.
Having made his senior debut at 18 years old, the Englishman went on to make 213 appearances for the club, chalking up 32 goals and 43 assists, propelling him towards the realm of club legend status.
During his 19-year association with the Villains, Grealish produced several memorable moments that saw him rise to prominence as the most talented graduate to come from the club's academy.
In Villa's FA Cup semi-final tie with Liverpool, a 19-year-old Grealish served up a stellar performance, notching up an assist which helped his boyhood club to their first FA Cup final in 15 years.
While Villa would struggle in the years that followed, suffering relegation to the Championship in 2016, Grealish was instrumental in their rise back to England's top table, becoming the figurehead of their success and the player for the big occasion.
Having captained the club back to promotion back to the Premier League in 2019, he registered 37 goal contributions in the following two seasons as his magnificent performances earned him the opportunity to work under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
What has Grealish achieved at Manchester City?
In their first season working under Guardiola, many players have struggled to acclimatize to the Catalan's demands, including Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias.
After joining in the summer of 2021, Grealish was no different as he only managed six goal contributions in 36 Premier League appearances, albeit most of his playing time was restricted to substitute appearances.
That soon changed as the following season saw the £300k per-week star become instrumental to their stunning treble-winning campaign as the 28-year-old recorded 18 goal contributions in all competitions with Guardiola hailing him as "exceptional".
While Grealish has seen his output dramatically increase in the final third, he's also producing world-class numbers for an array of his attacking attributes, ranking in the top 4% for progressive carries, fouls drawn, progressive passes and carries into the penalty when comparing him to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues, as per FBref.
From dreaming of playing in front of the Holte End to joining an exclusive bracket of treble winners, it's been some journey for Grealish and despite what he goes on to achieve across his illustrious career, he'll always bleed claret and blue.
As for the Villans, despite suffering the frustration of losing their prized possession, to have raked in such a sizeable for an academy product is further evidence that they did truly strike gold by nurturing the fleet-footed sensation.