BURGLARS responsible for the £1million raid on Jack Grealish’s mansion were scared off by cops a month earlier, we can reveal.
The gang got spooked when a police car drove past as they prepared to break in.
They first targeted the Man City midfield ace’s £5.6million mansion while he played against RB Leipzig on November 28 in the Champions League.
But they did not know Grealish, 28, and girlfriend Sasha Attwood, 27, were yet to move in.
They fled the scene when a police car coincidentally cruised by as they lay in wait down a quiet village lane near Knutsford, Cheshire.
They returned on December 27, grabbing watches and gems worth £1million while Jack played in City’s 3-1 win at Everton.
Sasha and members of Jack’s family were in at the time and raised the alarm but the gang escaped after less than three minutes, according to an underworld source.
They said the burglary was carried out with the approval of a Salford gang and the stolen items will be sold in Spain.
They added: “These lads are good at what they do. They never spend longer than a couple of minutes in a house because they automatically assume an alarm has been triggered the moment they gain entry. They don’t want to hurt or threaten anyone as they know that will increase their jail sentence if they are caught.”
Police are probing whether the raid was an inside job linked to other targeted footie stars. The source said: “If you’re a tradesman and work for footballers, once in with one you’re in with them all as they pass them on to teammates and say, ‘Use my guy’.
“So the police are trying to see if there is any pattern of a tradesman or particular company working at burgled properties.”
A Cheshire Police spokesman said: “No arrests have been made at this time and enquiries are ongoing.”
