In an eventful Sunday evening, takeover rumours emerged- and were shut down- within an hour.

More than six months on from originally putting the club up for sale, Chinese businessman Dai Yongge remains at the helm in Berkshire.

From Mike Ashley to a Luxembourg-based hedge fund, talk on potential new buyers has been rife.

Ben Francis- founder of sports apparel company Gymshark- was the latest name linked last night.

Anthony Smith, formerly of the Reading Chronicle, had announced that he believed the young billionaire was close to taking over after agreeing on a deal.

However, this took less than an hour to debunk after Francis himself took to social media.

"I’m sorry but this isn’t true," he said on X. "I’m a [Aston] Villa fan through and through and wouldn’t have an involvement with any other club. Plus I’m far too busy at Gymshark! All the best I hope you can get everything sorted."

Former CEO, Nigel Howe, is now among the club's hierarchy looking to find a deal for the club, with Yongge committing to disposing of the club 'at the earliest opportunity.'