O'Neill takes Barry action
02 Jul 2008 - 14:10:34
Gareth Barry appears to have moved a step closer to joining Liverpool after Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill revealed his unsettled captain will not be joining his team-mates for the start of pre-season training.
The 27-year-old England midfielder was reportedly the subject of a 'take it or leave it' £15million offer from the Anfield club on Wednesday in the latest twist to the long-running transfer saga.
Both Liverpool and Villa have denied the claim that their negotiations have reached breaking point.
O'Neill has previously turned down two bids from Reds counterpart Rafael Benitez and insists his club captain will only be sold if Liverpool agree to meet his valuation of the player.
However, O'Neill has told Barry to stay away from the club's training ground after becoming frustrated with the protracted nature of the deal.
Barry has also been 'disciplined' by O'Neill after publicly criticising his manager in a Sunday newspaper interview.
"There's no truth in this morning's reports and the situation remains the same," O'Neill told the club's official website in relation to the reports of Liverpool's 'final' offer.
"Gareth will not be returning to training tomorrow and he has been disciplined after giving an unauthorised interview to the News of the World."
