Aston Villa are expecting to be hit with a 12-point deduction next season providing they remain in the Championship.

That's the latest according to Times journalist Matt Hughes, who revealed that Villa will be monitoring local rivals Birmingham City who are set to be punished by the EFL.

Reports have suggested that Blues will be hit with a 15-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules, whilst they compounded the issue by ignoring an embargo when they signed Kristian Pedersen.

As Villa haven't done that, they could be in line for a slightly smaller punishment but it would still be a major problem for the club.

It comes after years of reckless spending under co-owner Tony Xia. The Chinese businessmen backed Roberto Di Matteo with many signings as the club were relegated and splashed out on big wages under Steve Bruce.

However, Villa lost the play-off final to Fulham last season and it plunged the club into crisis.

HMRC served the West Midlands side with a winding up order and Xia had to seek further investment to help the club which came in the form of Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris who now own a majority share in Villa.

The Verdict

Villa fans will have been worried about this given the levels of spending since they were relegated to the Championship.

How it will play out remains to be seen but this report makes for pretty grim reading, although a lot will depend on what actually happens to Birmingham as well.

For now, the side have to concentrate on winning promotion though, which would solve all the financial issues that Villa may have.

Thoughts, Villa fans? Let us know in the comments below.

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