Paul Smith is driving the new local consortium seeking to buyout Randy Lerner from Aston Villa.

The Daily Mail says Smith is a former Chelsea executive and the unlikely leader of the consortium attempting to buy Aston Villa.

Smith will need to raise more than £150million to mount a takeover bid.

Seller Randy Lerner, who is including his £3.5m Warwickshire country pad in the sale, wants another £50m on top to be made available for new signings. Meanwhile, such is Lerner's detachment from Villa it's not certain he will fly from California, where he is spending time painting, for the FA Cup final.