Villa offer to host Champions League final

Aston Villa has offered to host the UEFA Champions League final at Villa Park, according to reports.

Sky Sports have reported that the club has approached the FA and UEFA and offered the West Midlands based venue to host the match, between Chelsea and Manchester City, which is due to be played in Istanbul on 29 May.

Around 8,000 English fans are due to travel to Turkey for the match.

However, pressure is mounting for the final to be hosted in England due to a surge in coronavirus cases in Turkey.

The country entered its first full lockdown last week, and has some of the highest rates of infection in Europe currently.

But UEFA has reiterated that it still plans to stage the match in Istanbul.

In a statement, UEFA said: "The UEFA Champions League final will take place in Istanbul on May 29 with a limited number of spectators and we are assured the temporary lockdown which is in force until May 17 should not have any impact on the match.

"UEFA continues to work closely with the Turkish Football Federation and the local and national authorities to stage the match safely."

?UEFA is due to announce today further details on the final.