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Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia has taken to Twitter to explain why he blocked Joe Bennett's move to Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

The defender had looked set to join Wednesday, who he enjoyed a loan spell with last season, on a permanent deal before the owner pulled the plug in the final moments.

When supporters questioned why Bennett wasn't allowed to leave Villa Park, due to him being third in the pecking order behind Aly Cissokho and Jordan Amavi, the owner put it down to financial reasons.

He insists that the club won't pay for Bennett to play for one of their immediate rivals, which could mean that Villa would have had to subsidise Bennett's wages to make the move possible.

The defender is now in limbo heading into the final week of the transfer window, with no other offers forthcoming.