The takeover of Aston Villa has reportedly been put in doubt after it was claimed that Dr Tony Xia does not have the funds to complete a deal for the West Midlands club.

Last month, Xia agreed to gain ownership of the team from Randy Lerner, with the outgoing chairman already saying his goodbyes at Villa Park after a troubled spell at the club.

However, according to the Daily Mail, the takeover has allegedly been rejected by both the Premier League and Football League, with it being said that Xia does not possess the required funds to push through what had been seen as the beginning of a new era at the club.

Xia had previously claimed that he would provide the club's new manager with a £50m warchest to get Villa back in the top flight at the first opportunity but that now appears to be in severe doubt.

Reports have suggested that Roberto Di Matteo is close to being named as the new boss of Villa.

Written by
Darren Plant