The Premiership will be watching the situation in Asia closely

Aston Villa are the latest club to pull out of a tour of the Far East amid growing fears of the spread of the Sars virus.

Villa are set to follow Everton who have already withdrawn from their post-season tour to China.

West Midlands neighbours Birmingham City are considering pulling out of the Premiership's Asia Cup competition in Malaysia.

Villa had been scheduled to play against Shenzhen in Guangdong, China on May 23 and then Shandong in Hong Kong two days later.

Everton have already called off their end-of-season tour of Shenzhen in China and Hong Kong due to concerns over the virus.

We are monitoring the situation carefully Premiership spokesman

Despite missing out on the �300,000 the tour would have netted them, Villa have decided the trip could compromise the health of their players and staff.

A club spokesman said: "Given the current situation concerning Sars in parts of Asia, we felt that it was unwise for us to travel.

"We regret that but it is vital that we do not put the welfare of any of our players or staff at risk."

Birmingham's withdrawal from the Premiership's Asia Cup in July could jeopardise the tournament.

Chelsea and Newcastle are also due to take part in the tournament in Malaysia, designed to showcase the Premiership.

The Premier League admit they are monitoring the situation, but Birmingham may take a unilateral decision to withdraw.

A club spokesman said: "We are keeping close contact with the organisers and the Football Association and we are reviewing the situation at this stage.

"But we would probably expect to make a decision as we get closer to the tournament.

"We are keeping our options open."

The Premiership remains hopeful the tournament will be not affected as it is several months away and Kuala Lumpur is not currently one of the areas affected by the virus.

A Premiership spokesman said: "We are monitoring the situation carefully.

"Everton were planning to go to the worst-affected regions but according to the World Health Organisation there is not an issue with Sars in Kuala Lumpur at the moment.

"Furthermore the Everton tour was due to take place at the end of May but the Asia Cup is not until late July.

"Of course, we will be keeping a close eye on any changes to the situation."