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Tony Xia's takeover of Aston Villa has moved a step closer after he claimed he has passed the English Football League's fit and proper person test. The Chinese businessman agreed to buy the Championship club from Randy Lerner in May but still needed to get the deal approved by the authorities before taking full control. He was due to meet with the English Football League on Monday and has now written on his Weibo account -- China's version of Twitter -- that his proposal had been a success. He wrote: "13.6.2016, London, 11:30, the formal completion of the Football League proper test! The beginning of a journey unknown but worth the challenge!'' Villa have already appointed Roberto Di Matteo as their new manager, with his former Chelsea teammate Steve Clarke as assistant. Xia and Di Matteo are expected to hold a joint news conference once the takeover has been officially ratified. Xia is prepared to give the former Chelsea boss between £30-40 million for new players as he looks to rebuild a side which was relegated from the Premier League last season, winning just three times. Villa are expected to lose several players, including Jordan Ayew and Jordan Amavi, this summer while Charles N'Zogbia and Kieran Richardson will leave when their contracts expire at the end of the month.
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