Aston Villa football club is offering free tickets to its April 12 game against Everton to LDV employees in a bid to boost morale.

The football club has offered four tickets per employee and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

LDV employees have been voicing growing concerns about the uncertainty of the company’s future and a protracted business negotiation process.

LDV has told staff that negotiations with potential bidders will continue into this week.

The company told staff in a statement: “Good progress was made this week with all parties to reach a deal to secure the future of the business, however the details of the activity must remain confidential.

“This is clearly a difficult time in terms of communication with employees as during this period there will be a significant level of activity but there may not be a great deal to report to you.

“The fact that the business is able to continue working towards securing a long term future in the UK demonstrates the level of support that LDV has from it's business partners.”

LDV admitted the process is taking far longer than any of the business team had envisaged and said the current climate meant that major funding decisions could not be taken quickly or lightly.