Aston Villa are facing a Premier League investigation after selling Villa Park for £56.7 million to comply with profit and sustainability rules.

The club’s accounts for the year ending May 31 2019 were signed off by the English Football League (EFL) as compliant with its profit and sustainability regulations last month, but they have yet to be authorised by the Premier League, which received Villa’s books last weekend after their promotion via the Sky Bet Championship play-offs in May.

The Premier League rules are loosely aligned with the EFL’s, which prevent clubs from recording losses of more than £39 million over a three-year period, but contain additional complications that could cause problems for Villa. The Premier League regulations include the stipulation that all deals involving