Chinese businessman Dr Tony Jiantong Xia is the new owner of relegated Aston Villa after Randy Lerner agreed to the £60m sale.
The takeover, subject to Premier League and Football League approval, will see Xia become a unitary shareholder as well as the club’s chairman, placing the future of Steve Hollis in uncertainty.
Xia, 39, owns Recon Group, a company that operates in infrastructure, health, agriculture and transport in over 75 countries around the world, with five individual companies listed on the Hong Kong and Chinese Stock Exchange.
A statement posted on the club’s official website opened: “Aston Villa Football Club is pleased to announce that an agreement has been signed today for the sale of 100% ownership by Randy Lerner to Recon Group owned by Dr Tony Jiantong Xia subject to the approval of the Premier League and the Football League.
“Once those approvals have been granted and the new board members approved under the fit & proper rules of both leagues, Dr Xia will become Chairman of Aston Villa.
“The club will announce the appointment of a new manager shortly.”
Roberto Di Matteo heads the race to be named the new boss of the claret and blue, with Nigel Pearson also on the fringe.
Remi Garde’s successor can be in no doubt as to what is expected, with self-proclaimed Villa ‘fan’ Xia making no effort to filter his ambitions when stating: “Dr Xia’s immediate objective is to return Aston Villa to the Premier League and then to have the Club finish in the top six, bringing European football back to Villa Park. He plans to make Aston Villa the most famous football Club in China with a huge fan base.”
Clarification on whether chairman Steve Hollis will remain with Villa or not is expected once the Premier League and Football League give the green light for the takeover.
The former chief of accountancy firm KPMG proved key in speeding up Lerner’s sale of the club after an unsuccessful and lengthy search had found no suitors in the two years the club had been made available to buy.
