Aston Villa’s hopes of mounting a promotion challenge next season are in danger of being seriously damaged by the continuing uncertainty surrounding the club.

With the Telegraph claiming that Steve Bruce has still not been told whether he will be continuing as manager and rumours that a takeover of the club is on the cards, these are worrying times for Villa fans.

Bruce would like to remain in charge and he believes he can guide the club back to the Premier League, but owner Tony Xia is yet to reveal his future plans.

It is understood that numerous groups are interested in buying Villa, although no formal offers have been made.

Xia warned of upcoming changes in a statement last week, but he has failed to add anything further to his comments – leaving Bruce and Villa’s fans in limbo.

The 41-year-old promised a bright new future when he took over the club in 2016, but despite a significant financial outlay Villa have failed to secure promotion from the Championship. Financial Fair Play is a major problem moving forward, with Villa needing to find £40 million to fall in line with the regulations.

The sale of star players like Jack Grealish appears inevitable, but Villa cannot afford to waste time building for next season with the transfer window already open.

As has been highlighted by the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland in recent times, shoddy ownership can very quickly result in a spectacular fall from grace.

Xia claimed when he took over Villa that it would be the top club in Europe with the most fans in the world in just five years.

Whilst no fans believed that would happen, they certainly were within their rights to expect a man of Xia’s wealth to be able to deliver some form of success.

If he truly has the best interests of the club at heart, he needs to get his act together and soon.