Houllier exits Villa with £5m pay-off

GERARD HOULLIER left Aston Villa last night - with around £5million for nine months' work.

Villa are close to agreeing a pay-off with the French boss after owner Randy Lerner blocked his return to the dugout next season following heart problems suffered in April.
The settlement will leave Villa clear to pursue their No 1 target Mark Hughes - although Fulham will fight to keep their manager.
Houllier, with two years to run of his three-year £8m contract, is in line to walk away with a compensation package of around £3m on top of the salary he earned last season.
Houllier, who took over after Martin O'Neill's shock exit at the start of the season, was yesterday locked in talks with Villa's American owner Lerner who has reluctantly decided to sack the former Liverpool boss on health grounds.
But Houllier was keen to carry on in the job despite a turbulent season and felt he had recovered fully - despite undergoing heart surgery 10 years ago.
However, Villa did not want to take a risk on the manager's health.
And they are expected to officially announce today that Houllier will step down as boss after the two parties neared an amicable agreement.