Martin O’Neill keeps Gareth Barry waiting on Liverpool move

Jun 26 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

Gareth Barry, Aston Villa _320

GARETH BARRY will be kept waiting on his dream move to Anfield with Liverpool set to infuriate Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill further by telling him to “get real” over the valuation of his unsettled captain.

The England international midfielder made it clear that he wanted to leave Villa Park at the end of last season in the search for Champions League football with Anfield his preferred destination.

However, with his skipper still under contract, Villa manager O’Neill, who is preparing for an Intertoto Cup campaign with one of the Premier League’s smallest squads is determined to squeeze as much out of any suitors for his prize asset.

Backed by American owner Randy Lerner, O’Neill, livid at the Anfield outfit’s public chase for Barry has stubbornly dug in his heels and rejected Liverpool’s first three bids.

With Villa valuing Barry at £20million, Liverpool are now set to ask the Midlanders to introduce some ‘realism’ into negotiations as Benitez looks to seal a deal.

O’Neill’s valuation of Barry is based on the £18m fee paid for Javier

Mascherano last season but Benitez does not concur as Barry, 27, is more than three years older than the Argentinian.

The Ulsterman is so annoyed with the way negotiations have been conducted that has now severed all contact with Anfield, leaving Lerner’s assistant Paul Faulkner to conduct talks.

For the first time, Liverpool have admitted that they fear that the stalemate could last much longer than they’d hoped unless a compromise can be reached and Barry now faces the prospect of having to report for the start of Villa’s pre-season training at Bodymoor Heath.

With Liverpool and Villa also unable to reach an agreement over Scott Carson’s asking price, any part-exchange involving the goalkeeper who was on loan at Villa Park now seems unlikely.

Villa have turned their attentions to Tottenham Hotspur’s Paul Robinson who is set to become surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane as Juande Ramos pursues a new number one.