O'Neill pushes for £20m after Villa accept Barry will go
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Aston Villa will resist Liverpool's attempts to sign Gareth Barry for around £15m, with Martin O'Neill determined that the price for the England player should be closer to £20m. The Villa manager is resigned to losing Barry, after accepting that the midfielder wishes to play Champions League football next season, but he is adamant that the 27-year-old will not be allowed to leave unless Liverpool return with a significantly improved bid.
Liverpool have already tabled two bids for Barry: a £10m deal involving what O'Neill described as a "mish-mash of players" and a £12m cash offer. Both were rejected and O'Neill remains upset with the way Liverpool have handled negotiations. Details of the first bid, which was ill-timed anyway, were leaked on Merseyside. O'Neill will not allow Barry's departure on anything other than his terms.
Liverpool are keen to avoid antagonising O'Neill further. They were forced to return to the negotiating table after failing with their second offer and there was dialogue between Anfield and Villa Park yesterday as the two clubs sought a compromise. Liverpool may well try to structure a deal that sees Villa receive £15m in cash and up to a further £3m in add-ons, although whether O'Neill is receptive to that idea remains to be seen.
The Villa manager, who had tried to convince Barry that he should stay on at Villa Park for a further 12 months, in order to see if he could achieve his European ambitions at the club where he has spent the last decade, could still be tempted by the availability of fringe players at Liverpool. He is likely to be disappointed in his pursuit of the striker Peter Crouch, who is expected to join Portsmouth, but Yossi Benayoun, the Israel midfielder who arrived from West Ham last summer, has emerged as a possible Villa signing.
O'Neill spent yesterday discussing his targets with Paul Faulkner, a club director who is a close ally of the owner, Randy Lerner, having returned from Euro 2008, where he has been working as a pundit for the BBC. With Villa's squad short of numbers, O'Neill is expected to be busier than many of his counterparts this summer. Steve Sidwell, the Chelsea midfielder, is predicted to be among his recruits while Fulham's Jimmy Bullard is also believed to be on the club's radar.
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ya man.. in anyway Ah Ben also dunno what price is market rate..
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20 million pound + benayoun is a fair value for barry.
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Aston Villa reject Liverpool's improved offer of £15million for England midfield ace Barry
Aston Villa have rejected an improved £15million bid from Liverpool for captain Gareth Barry. The England midfielder has emerged as Liverpool's leading transfer target this summer and made a £10m bid for him last month. But the club are reluctant to sell and holding out for at least £20m before allowing Barry to leave Villa Park.
A Villa spokesman said: "The offer was a slight improvement on a previous bid
but our position on the issue remains unchanged and Liverpool have been informed."Liverpool's pursuit of the 27-year-old has created a rift between manager Rafael Benitez and Villa counterpart Martin O'Neill. O'Neill was incensed that talks between the pair were leaked last month and has since made clear his determination to hold on to the club's longest-serving player.
The Northern Irshman and Villa owner Randy Lerner have attempted to convince Barry his future lies at the club he joined 11 years ago. But the player insists he wants to play Champions League football and a move to Liverpool is now imminent.
Barry must now wait to see if Liverpool return with yet another bid or whether Benitez opts to look elsewhere.
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nooo its not a fair value dammit! if he demands to leave already shud negotiate for cheaper price!!!
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it's way too expensive!!
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waliew too overrated le..
use tat $ get sum1 else will be better
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good, give rafa a taste of his medicine.. silly evaluations..
make it 20m + beanpole..