Ellis stands firm as Villa fans unite to voice anger

CHAIRMAN Doug Ellis has insisted he will not sell Aston Villa to anyone he fears is only looking to asset-strip the club.

Ellis, the club’s major shareholder, has come under fire in a joint statement from the Aston Villa Shareholders’ Association and Villa Fans’ Combined groups, who claim he is asking an unrealistic price.

A £64 million (€50 million) takeover bid from a consortium fronted by Irish property developers, the Comer brothers, appears to have sunk.

But Ellis is adamant he is not asking an inflated price for Villa, who are in need of a new direction to help lift them out of the doldrums.

Ellis said: “There is no way I will allow Aston Villa to go to someone who might asset-strip. It’s a responsibility and I take it. It’s on my head.

“If the right people come in and really want to take the club forward, then I’ll treat it very seriously.”

Ellis insisted: “I am not trying to sell cheap. What I have done is say: ‘I am prepared to sell.’”