Former Arsenal captain Tony Adams is eyeing a takeover at Aston Villa, according to Sky News.
The report claims ex-England international Adams is working alongside former Chelsea executive Paul Smith and has approached investors about a potential £150 million takeover.
Current Villa owner Randy Lerner announced a year ago that he was putting the club up for sale, and Adams and Smith -- who are said to have formed a company called Halo as a vehicle for such investments -- are reported to be mulling a takeover.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Smith has been working on a deal for months and Adams is expected to have a football role if a bid proves successful. The pair are hoping to finalise a deal with Lerner before the start of next season.
Sky quoted a source as saying that Halo could be used in bids to acquire minority stakes in other clubs, including Inter Milan and Sporting Lisbon.
Villa manager Tim Sherwood was asked about the potential takeover at his news conference on Thursday but he said he was unaware of such a bid being in the offing.
"I haven't heard anything. I'm working for the football club, not the individuals who are here," he said. "It's one of the biggest clubs in English football. I'm happy to be here and proud to be the manager.
"I know Tony but only through playing. He's a good guy, I have a lot of respect for Tony.
"It's out of my hands -- if the club's up for sale a decision will be made if a fee is agreed. But Randy has given me no indication he's lost any enthusiasm for this job. He's excited about what's happening at the moment.
"He's not keeping me on board with any developments. If something happens it's up to the someone who comes in to decide whether they want Tim Sherwood as their manager.''
Villa chief executive Tom Fox told The Guardian last month that he was not expecting a takeover to be completed in the coming weeks, saying: "I think I'd know if there was a sale imminent."
He added: "Look, there may be people out there who in their own mind think they want to buy Aston Villa. It's nothing that we know about it. People are trying to fill the void of information with something. And I'm not suggesting you are irresponsible for asking these questions, but a lot of what is being said out there is just borderline irresponsible.
"I look at some of the things that are being written about the ownership and I just laugh. 'Rich person interested in buying Villa' -- of course there is. Why is that news? Tell me who it is, tell me what his offer is, tell me he's engaged actively with the bank to do that, and that there's actually engagement on the other side, and then you might have a story. I've haven't seen any of those things happening."