Follow the Roman road

Their English representative, Mel Goldberg, insists: 'It will happen but it's not going to take five minutes. Abramovich at Chelsea was exceptional. Life doesn't usually work like that.'

Still, huge sums of money often have a way of speeding things up, and 39-year-old Mikhail Fridman, from the same small clique as Abramovich, is thought to be looking to follow in his footsteps.

Like Abramovich, he prefers to stay out of the limelight. 'I don't want to walk into a restaurant and have everyone start talking,' said Ukraine-rooted Fridman.

Worth around £1.5bn, he once sold black-market theatre tickets and was already wealthy before Abramovich had made his first million, but dark allegations hang over his companies.

A Moscow newspaper is currently appealing a recent verdict in favour of Fridman after it had linked his companies to alleged criminal activities, notably drug- dealing, violence and money-laundering.

The image he prefers is as Russia's most astute and trustworthy banker and head of Alfa Group, the banking-to-metals group he founded as Communism crumbled in Moscow. Increasingly, he is looking outside Russia to consolidate wealth that he amassed during the years of dodgy privatisation deals under Boris Yeltsin. Significantly, Fridman prefers his wife and daughters to live abroad. He 'does not want his children to go to school accompanied by bodyguards'.

Even wealthier Russians than Fridman will keep a shrewd eye on the Premiership escape clause. Oleg Deripaska, 36, chief executive of Rusal, the second largest aluminium group in the world, is worth an estimated £2bn, having begun his career on the Commodity Exchange trading in goods, shares and privatisation vouchers.

Outgunning them all financially is 40-year-old Mikhail Kodorkovsky, thought to be worth in excess of £5bn. Kodorkovsky, who heads Yukos, the world's fourth largest oil company as well as a bank, Menatep, is facing a sudden string of legal actions.

Will the more vulnerable clubs in the Premiership be receptive to the Russian advances? Well, pragmatism would kick in as Chelsea threaten to join Manchester United in disappearing over the financial horizon, laden with silverware.

Ironically, United themselves are deemed to be ring-fenced from attack. Quite apart from the shareholdings built up by the likes of John Magnier and JP McManus, the so-called Coolmore Mafia, the fans would take to the barricades.

Shareholders United spokesman Oliver Houston is unequivocal. He said: 'Whether the bid came from Florence Nightingale, Alex Ferguson or a Russian oligarch we would not be in favour of a takeover. We gave Rupert Murdoch a bloody nose, and we're stronger and wiser now.'

There are easier targets than United - and more willing ones, it seems. Goldberg, acting for the South Americans scrutinising Villa, told Radio Five Live's Rumour Mill: 'It has not been hard to find sellers. Lots of clubs have approached me.'

Sunderland are thought to be vulnerable, with their fan base and stadium attractive to investors. Leeds chairman John McKenzie is braced to reject suitors, but the Elland Road club also look likely targets despite their £80m debt.