Aston Villa have confirmed they have received a "preliminary approach" for the takeover of the club.
That approach has been been made by Michael Neville's Irish consortium Comer Homes group, with a bid in the region of £64 million thought to be imminent.
A statement to the Stock Exchange confirmed the approach but insisted no negotiations had taken place.
"The directors of Aston Villa plc can confirm that they have received a preliminary from Mr Michael Neville on behalf of a consortium group which could lead to an offer for the company," read the statement.
"However, the board have not met with any other members of the consortium group nor received any confirmation of the availability of sufficient funding to support any potential offer and so they can only treat the approach as speculative at this stage."
Should Villa's shareholders accept the offer, though, it will bring to an end the 23-year tenure of current chairman Doug Ellis.
Ellis owns a combined 58 percent of the club's shares but Villa's poor start to the season has increased speculation over his long-term future.
Villa Fans Combined spokesman Jonathan Fear welcomed the news after admitting disillusionment with the club's progress in recent seasons.
"It is fantastic news for the club. The foundations have been there for quite some time. We've had a lot of chances to push on and the board haven't taken them," said Fear.
"The fans no longer have any belief that the club is moving forward, so with a new group, at last, everyone will have a big sigh of relief and move forward. Hopefully it is the dawning of a new era."
That approach has been been made by Michael Neville's Irish consortium Comer Homes group, with a bid in the region of £64 million thought to be imminent.
A statement to the Stock Exchange confirmed the approach but insisted no negotiations had taken place.
"The directors of Aston Villa plc can confirm that they have received a preliminary from Mr Michael Neville on behalf of a consortium group which could lead to an offer for the company," read the statement.
"However, the board have not met with any other members of the consortium group nor received any confirmation of the availability of sufficient funding to support any potential offer and so they can only treat the approach as speculative at this stage."
Should Villa's shareholders accept the offer, though, it will bring to an end the 23-year tenure of current chairman Doug Ellis.
Ellis owns a combined 58 percent of the club's shares but Villa's poor start to the season has increased speculation over his long-term future.
Villa Fans Combined spokesman Jonathan Fear welcomed the news after admitting disillusionment with the club's progress in recent seasons.
"It is fantastic news for the club. The foundations have been there for quite some time. We've had a lot of chances to push on and the board haven't taken them," said Fear.
"The fans no longer have any belief that the club is moving forward, so with a new group, at last, everyone will have a big sigh of relief and move forward. Hopefully it is the dawning of a new era."
