Aston Villa’s owner Dr Tony Xia is fighting to keep the club out of the hands of administrators. A huge investment in players’ wages plus more than £70m in transfers in just two seasons leaves the club facing an HMRC winding-up order, with the prospect of administration a real possibility.
Dr Xia’s financial problems are the result of cash flow issues in China .Since the play-off final defeat, the owner has been China attempting to attract new investors to share the burden, and would be prepared to cut his losses and sell the club for the right price.