Liverpool FC's latest bid for Gareth Barry rejected

Jul 3 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

GARETH BARRY’S Aston Villa nightmare deepened last night when the Midlands club claimed they had rejected a new bid from Liverpool.

But Villa insist the offer from Anfield was not the £17million one widely reported earlier yesterday.

Liverpool also denied they had made a £17m bid, and insisted it was “not their final offer”.

But on a day when Villa manager Martin O’Neill fined club skipper Barry two weeks’ wages for his Sunday newspaper outburst attacking his manager’s handling of the prospective deal, Liverpool were again told they had not matched Villa’s valuation.

Liverpool had previously seen three bids rejected of £10million, £12m and then £13m and the new offer was believed to be in the region of £15m. O’Neill, however, is holding out for £18m.

Barry had raised the stakes this week by publicly attacking his manager, and as well as being fined he was also told not to attend Villa’s first day of pre-season training today.

Villa’s latest statement said: “The club have received a renewed offer from Liverpool for the player but that still falls well short of Aston Villa’s evaluation, and has subsequently been rejected.”

Earlier yesterday O’Neill had denied he had received another offer from Liverpool.

Barry’s absence from training today will only heighten the drama over his move, with his current position at the club clearly untenable.

Barry upset O’Neill by intimating the Villa manager was more interested in being a television pundit for the Euro 2008 finals than speaking to him over his future.

It is also unlikely that the England midfielder will be part of O’Neill’s squad as Villa jet off to a Swiss training camp next week ahead of their first pre-season friendly away at FC Zurich on July 12.