Source: PA
City violated rules - Lerner
Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner has hit out at Manchester City over their pursuit of midfielder James Milner.
Lerner claims City have broken rules by continuing their interest in the England international after being told Villa did not want to sell.
He told The Mail on Sunday: "Big, bad Manchester City came along and asked for Milner and we said, `No, he is not for sale'. And under the rules you have to respect that.
"Manchester City respected that for two whole days. And then they violated the rules and came in for him again."
Milner played a starring role in Villa's 3-0 win over West Ham in their Barclays Premier League opener on Saturday, scoring his side's superb third goal.
Lerner added: "We are not a selling club. A selling club is when you let it be known that you want to sell a player, through an agent or whatever. That didn't happen with Gareth Barry and it didn't happen with James Milner either. As for Ashley Young, he was never going."
