Report: Aston Villa 'days' away from Chinese takeover and Roberto Di Matteo appointment
Aston Villa are reportedly just days away from finalising the sale of the club to a Chinese consortium and appointing Roberto Di Matteo as manager.
Chairman Steve Hollis is believed to be in China at the moment completing the deal with the businessmen, who have picked the former West Brom and Chelsea manager as their preferred candidate.
The club are expected to announce something official at the start of next week, but confirmation could come as early as the end of this week.
Owner Randy Lerner hopes to sell the club for £100m, but it's been reported that he may have to settle for as little as £60m because of Villa's relegation to the Championship.
Former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson was also a front-runner for the vacant managerial position, but Di Matteo has emerged as the consortium's first choice.
Maybe Lerner was celebrating when spotted having a cheeky drink recently?
The American billionaire was pictured drinking a beer with former Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner
