Former owner Randy Lerner nets £30m windfall after Aston Villa clinch promotion

Former owner Randy Lerner netted a £30million windfall after Aston Villa won promotion at Wembley on Monday.

The bumper payout was agreed during Tony Xia’s takeover of the club following relegation from the Premier League in May, 2016.

Xia paid an initial £76.2m for Villa, though the deal included a clause which would pay Lerner an extra £30m if they were promoted within three seasons.

Monday's game represented the last chance for Lerner to claim the £30m windfall.

Despite the payout to Lerner as well as the £6m bonus pot to the players, Villa ’s owners promised ‘the sky is the limit’ after watching Dean Smith’s side clinch promotion to the Premier League in the £170m match at Wembley.

Billionaire businessmen Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens will back Villa with funds to ensure they can compete on their return to the top flight.

Star man Jack Grealish led the celebrations after Villa sealed a 2-1 win over Derby, with goals from Anwar El Ghazi and John McGinn, to end a three-season top-flight exile.

‘Our ambition was not just to get promoted but to do well in the Premier League,’ said Sawiris. ‘We’ve seen that with great management the sky is the limit, with such a fan base and such a great squad.’