Aston Villa holds talks with Swiss investor over sale of club

A mysterious Swiss investor has held detailed talks about a possible bid for Aston Villa, the Premier League football club, it can be revealed. 

According to Telegraph, a Geneva-based fund, named IM 1872, was close to agreeing a takeover with Randy Lerner, Villa's American owner, over the summer only for the discussions to break down after its financial backers unexpectedly pulled out at the last minute.

 But the firm, which is one of the main investors in German Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin, is understood to be still scouring the UK Premier League for potential investment opportunities.

It is now believed to be seeking fresh funding in the hope of reviving its bid for Villa, which was put up for sale by Mr Lerner in May last year when the American tycoon announced he felt he could no longer do the job. Since then, Mr Lerner claims to have had interest from around the globe including from German, Italian, American and Chinese investors.

IM 1872, run by two former media executives, had lined up backing from the Asian arm of Barings Bank, based in Hong Kong. However, executives based in the Chinese territory vetoed the deal over concerns that ownership of a football club carried too much risk.
Mr Lerner reportedly values Aston Villa at between £150m and £200m. However, it is understood IM 1872's offer was below that range.

The American entrepreneur has owned Villa for nine years and also owns the Cleveland Browns American football team, which he inherited when Mr Lerner's father Al died in 2002. He bought out Doug Ellis in a £60m-plus deal in 2006 and for a while the club's glory days looked like they might return.
Since then, however, the team has increasingly struggled. Last year, Villa finished 17th in the Premier League, the club's worst position since Mr Lerner took over. 

Telegraph UK