Struggling English Premiership side Aston Villa, reeling from the departure of manager David O’Leary, on Thursday said they had received takeover approaches from ”various parties”, both from Britain and overseas.
The Birmingham-based football club has been in an official offer period since September 19, when the AVIL consortium made an initial approach to the company.
”As previously announced, the board appointed [investment bank] Rothschild as an adviser to examine the AVIL proposal and can confirm that there have since been a number of other approaches from various parties, both from the United Kingdom and overseas,” the club said.
However, the brief statement did not reveal the identity of their other suitors.
”Extensive discussions involving Rothschild, the chairperson, Doug Ellis, and credible parties are ongoing and will be fully explored to determine whether a formal offer for the issued share capital of Aston Villa will be forthcoming.”
”However, there is no certainty that any of these discussions will lead to an offer being made,” added the official statement, which was released to the London Stock Exchange alongside confirmation of O’Leary’s exit.
O’Leary became the first casualty of the English Premiership season on Wednesday when he quit his position at Villa Park by mutual consent.
The Irishman had been in charge at Villa since June 2003 and they finished sixth in his first Premiership campaign.
However, his position was weakened by a 10th-placed campaign in 2004-05 and 16th in the 2005-06 season.
That followed an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the publication of a statement from the entire first-team squad that criticised Ellis.
Villa said the inquiry had now completed its investigations and no misconduct by the manager was uncovered. — AFP
