Aston Villa's owners, V Sports, have acquired a minority stake in French Ligue 2 club FC Annecy. The deal is expected to strengthen the partnership between the two clubs. Triston Rowe, an English defender, joined the French club on a straight loan this season and helped the club finish seventh in the league. Annecy narrowly missed out on the play-offs. The exact percentage of the stake bought by V Sports is not known, but it is believed to be around 30%. V Sports also own Vitoria SC. It is expected that Aston Villa will send players to Annecy to develop their skills.