Barry saga rumbles on as deadline passes

NEWS ROUND-UP:GARETH BARRY'S future remained uncertain last night after it emerged that Liverpool were in the process of putting together an €23 million deal for the England international when Aston Villa issued a statement indicating the deadline for completing the transfer had passed.

The latest development leaves Barry facing the possibility of remaining at Villa Park next season despite knowing that Liverpool had managed to raise the funds to meet Martin O'Neill's asking price.

Villa are adamant there will be no further negotiations, with the Midlands club pointing to the 5pm cut-off point that had been agreed on Monday with Liverpool and Barry. Since then the Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, is known to have leaned heavily on the Anfield board and persuaded the club's American owners, Tom Gillett and George Hicks, to finance the deal. However, with no further bid arriving before the deadline, Villa last night claimed the saga had ended.

"Aston Villa can announce that Gareth Barry will be staying with the club following the interest from Liverpool over recent months," said a statement posted on the Villa website shortly after 5pm. "During discussions in the past few days a final deadline to conclude this episode was set that all parties were aware of and agreed to. This deadline has now passed."

Villa insist there is no chance of the situation changing although it appears unlikely that Barry, who has made no secret of his desire to move to Anfield, will be willing to accept his current position. Indeed it is expected that the 27-year-old, mindful that Liverpool can now meet Villa's valuation, will hold further discussions with O'Neill this week in an attempt to force the issue.

Barry could even be tempted to submit a transfer request, something that he has so far not felt the need to do.

Whether that changes anything at Villa remains to be seen. Sources indicate they are adamant Liverpool will not be granted more time to complete a transfer that has been rumbling on since before the end of last season.

Indeed Villa claim they have received only three formal bids from Liverpool, with the last offer of €16.5 million tabled more than six weeks ago, as Benitez concentrated his efforts on bringing in Robbie Keane from Tottenham.

With that deal complete, Benitez was informed that he would have to sell players to fund a move for Barry, something that Villa, anxious to formalise their plans before the start of the season, were unwilling to accept. O'Neill, who has become exasperated with Liverpool's pursuit, signalled last week that Villa "wouldn't be at the behest of Liverpool Football Club", the Northern Irishman indicating that he would set a date for a deal to be finalised.

The Villa manager stayed true to his promise and on Monday this week called a meeting where Liverpool were informed that yesterday's deadline would be imposed. Barry, with little option, accepted Villa's stance, although it is understood that he hoped the club would recognise Liverpool were close to submitting an acceptable package.

Sources indicate that authorisation for a final bid to be submitted was very close when Villa issued their statement.

That realisation is certain to exacerbate Barry's frustration as he reflects on the turbulent last three months, during which time he has told O'Neill of his wish to play for Liverpool, been banned from pre-season training and fined two weeks' wages for giving an unauthorised interview before returning to make an unlikely appearance for Villa in an Intertoto Cup match.

After the Odense fixture on Saturday O'Neill suggested that he might open talks with the midfielder over a new contract. It remains highly unlikely, however, that Barry will agree to sign an extended deal, with the former Brighton trainee, who has spent more than a decade at Villa Park, more likely to sit tight and hope that the summer's most acrimonious transfer can be resolved in his favour. For the moment, however, he remains an Aston Villa player.

Guardian Service