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Randy Lerner is set to sell Aston Villa for £150million, writes Neil Moxley in the Sunday People.

People Sport understands American billionaire Lerner is in final discussions with a UK-based group to off-load the Midlands club.

Talks have been on-going for several months, but it now appears set in stone that the club will change hands at the end of the season.

Lerner will see a return on the £63.6m he paid former Villa supremo Doug Ellis to assume control ten years ago - receiving a profit of over £85m.

But that does not take into account the £300m he has spent since then trying to realise his dream of turning Villa into a force in English football.

Discussions have been taking place for the past six months and the only stumbling block to a deal being finalised before now has been Villa’s perilous position near the foot of the Premier League table.

How the bottom of the table stands

P W D L GF GA GD Pts Hull 30 6 10 14 28 40 -12 28 Aston Villa 30 7 7 16 19 39 -20 28 Sunderland 30 4 14 12 23 44 -21 26 Burnley 30 5 10 15 26 49 -23 25 QPR 30 6 4 20 31 54 -23 22 Leicester 29 4 7 18 27 48 -21 19

The asking price would be slashed upon any relegation but that looks less likely to happen now following Tim Sherwood’s appointment and subsequent brief rally on the field - although the situation is still too close to comfort for many employees at Villa Park.

Lerner has wanted out of football for some time now - since long before he officially put Villa up for sale last May.

Such is his disillusionment, he handed over the task of choosing manager Paul Lambert’s successor to chief executive Tom Fox last month - with previous appointments he had always played a full role in deciding who manages his club.

Although an announcement is not imminent, it will be so when the season comes to an end in May - with the future of manager Tim Sherwood inevitably thrown into doubt by the arrival of the new owners.