Martin O’Neill admits that Gareth Barry wants to go to Liverpool

Jun 13 2008 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL will make a fourth bid for Gareth Barry after Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill admitted for the first time that he is resigned to losing his captain.

But after having their latest offer of £15million rejected yesterday, it seems unlikely Liverpool will get him for less than £18m given Villa’s hardline stance on keeping their influential captain.

And O’Neill reiterated that last night by saying: “He was the last person to have the captain’s armband in the last England game – so the offer Liverpool have made is just not acceptable even though they have upped it.”

But he added: “I think it might be difficult to keep him because he has more than intimated to me that he fancies going to Liverpool so it’s a big setback to us.

“It’s very frustrating. We finished sixth and he played a major part in that and it was just looking like we could improve matters, because the club is capable of doing that.

“Look at Manchester United, struggling to keep hold of Ronaldo. That leaves the rest of us in a bit of trouble.

“But that’s what you’ re in football for, you want to try and get there (top four) and if it’s without Gareth Barry, we’ll still have a go.”

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is prepared to sit tight and remains confident of landing his target, particularly given O’Neill’s first public admission of defeat in the fight to persuade Barry to stay.

The Anfield club initially made a player-plus-cash offer worth £10million last month, but that was immediately dismissed – as was a further bid of £12m and the third offer yesterday.

It means Liverpool have had to considerably up the stakes in their pursuit of the player and may have to explore the possibility of involving players in the package once again.

A player-plus-cash deal involving Peter Crouch would mean Liverpool effectively taking an amount for him that is considerably below their valuation but the clubs fancied to make a move for the England striker are struggling to meet the asking price.

Portsmouth have been favourites to engineer a return to Fratton Park for the player but won’t go to the £10m mark.

Benitez would be loath to undervalue the player as he is happy to keep him as part of his squad despite not being able to guarantee him the first team involvement he craves.

Pompey manager Harry Redknapp wants to push through a deal for Crouch but is looking to spend in the region of £8million, which would only net Liverpool a profit of £1m on the amount they paid Redknapp’s Southampton for him in 2005.

Redknapp said: “We are looking, but it is not always easy to get in the people we are looking for.

“But we are moving along and something could happen soon. Crouchy is a brilliant lad and I do like him a great deal.

“I suppose if Peter Storrie was negotiating with Liverpool though, he wouldn’t want me throwing figures around.

“We might feel Liverpool want a little too much for him even at £10m.

“We might want to pay a bit less, so it wouldn’t be right for me to say a price.

“At the end of the day he still belongs to Liverpool.

‘I doubt if they would want me talking about their players really. I’ve always said I like Peter, though.

“There might be a deal there. If there’s not then we will move on.”

Offering Scott Carson would be more beneficial financially, but Villa manager Martin O’Neill’s previous misgivings about Liverpool overpricing the goalkeeper who spent last season on loan at Villa Park could surface again.

Another complication from Liverpool’s point of view is whether Juventus can meet their asking price for Xabi Alonso.

According to reports in Italy, Juventus increased their offer to £14.2million this week, with the Italian giants adamant it will be their last.

And with Benitez wanting more in the region of £16m for Alonso and Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri setting his sights on Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, Alonso’s move could be in jeopardy.