EPL side Aston Villa Owner Randy Lerner’s £3M ($4.4M) farmhouse "has been made available in another clear sign" the club is heading for a summer takeover, according to John Percy of the London TELEGRAPH. Lerner’s property in Bodymoor Heath "is being offered to the consortium bidding" to complete a £150M ($222M) deal at the end of this season. The converted farmhouse with almost 16 acres of land, based near Villa’s training ground in North Warwickshire, "is part of the overall package that Lerner has proposed to the party interested in buying the Midlands club." The consortium is now "in due diligence and have been given access to the club’s ‘data room,’ with the intention of taking charge in the summer and ending Lerner’s nine-year reign." The small int'l group, led by one major investor and a number of backers from around the world, has "signed a non-disclosure agreement" and is determined to keep its identity secret. Links with American investment bankers Todd Boehly and Henry Silverman "have been dismissed, but talks are said to be progressing smoothly and the takeover is expected to accelerate once Villa’s Premier League future is known."
Relegation "would severely harm Lerner’s asking price" -- it is understood the £150M fee could even be halved -- but the consortium would still be interested in buying the club (TELEGRAPH, 3/31).
