Aston Villa deny reports of a fresh cash injection arriving from the Middle East.

The Birmingham Mail says stories on Sunday suggested American billionaire Randy Lerner was holding talks with wealthy Far East businessmen about a possible cash injection at Villa Park.

But senior Villa officials insist there is "no truth whatsoever" in the articles which claimed the chairman was concerned that his personal fortune was being dwarfed by City's Abu Dhabi United Group.

Lerner seized control of Villa in 2006 when he bought the club for £60 million and despite preferring a softly, softly approach has backed O'Neill with around £100 million in transfer fees in the last three years.