Legendary Arsenal centre-back Tony Adams is reportedly looking to raise £150 million in order to lodge an Aston Villa takeover bid.

Mark Kleinman of Sky News reports that Adams has been working alongside former Chelsea executive Paul Smith in an attempt to raise capital from investors:

They have approached a number of private equity and other investment firms in recent weeks in an effort to raise approximately £75m in new equity to finance an offer for Aston Villa.

The remainder of the funding for a takeover would probably be in the form of new debt, with a unit of Goldman Sachs understood to have been sounded out about providing the additional capital.

Villa owner Randy Lerner placed the club up for sale in May 2014, according to Darren Lewis and James Nursey of the Mirror, who suggest the £150 million valuation stems from the bumper new Premier League television rights deal.

Lerner has helped the club reduce its massive losses, according to Villa’s chief financial officer Robin Russell, as reported by Lewis and Nursey: “We are very pleased to be able to report improved results after a period of heavy financial losses,” noted Russell. “By controlling costs we have been able to take advantage of the new Premier League broadcasting deal to bring the club closer to self-sufficiency.”

Perhaps worryingly for Lerner, Villa are just two points outside the relegation zone. They won’t be privy to some of the £5.1 billion fortune paid by Sky and BT Sport if they drop down to the Championship, a plummet that would seriously harm the club’s worth.

Kleinman suggests Adams and Smith have set up a new company, named Halo, with which they plan to establish a football club network across the globe. It is even suggested Italian giants Inter Milan, Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, plus teams in the Brazilian and Belgian leagues are being targeted by Halo.

Vitally, Kleinman admits Adams and Smith face competition for Villa: “Halo has been given access to a data room holding information on Aston Villa’s finances, although its bid is not understood to be the current frontrunner of those remaining in the process.”

Since retiring from professional football in 2002, Adams has struggled through managerial spells with Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth and Azerbaijani side Gabala. He remains one of Arsenal’s most iconic players.

On the surface of it, Villa should remain an attractive prospect. The club has a fantastic fanbase, a revered stadium and has appeared in every season of the Premier League. Up until recent times, they could be considered contenders for a top-six finish.

Those succeeding Lerner will need to invest in the team while making sure star players, such as striker Christian Benteke and midfield dynamo Fabian Delph, remain at the club.

As noted by Kleinman, it is yet to be revealed whether Adams and Smith have secured adequate financial backing to move forward with their alleged plans.

The final three matches of the Premier League season are likely to play a major role in this situation, with Villa’s value hanging on the club’s ability to avoid the drop.

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