Gareth Barry on verge of £12m move to Manchester City
Aston Villa have confirmed that Gareth Barry is in talks with Manchester City over a proposed move to Eastlands this summer.
The club have accepted a £12m offer for the midfielder, who could have a medical in London this week. It is understood City officials have flown to England's training camp to speak to the midfielder who is currently preparing for the World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan. A deal could happen by Wednesday.
It will come as a huge blow to Villa, and their supporters, that their stand-in captain is ready to join another club for reasons other than those he has already put forward - primarily the prospect of playing Champions League football.
That he is rumoured to be taking an almost £60,000-a-week pay rise could have something to do with it.
Only last week the club’s owner, Randy Lerner, said he was optimistic that Barry would stay at Villa Park this summer. The club would be prepared, he said, to allow the midfielder to run his contract down and leave on a free next year if he rejected any advances, or that they would make him the highest paid player at the club if he signed a new deal.