Aston Villa have rejected Liverpool's latest bid for Gareth Barry as the continuing saga becomes even more acrimonious.

Liverpool's new bid is believed to be in the region of £15 million but is still short of Aston Villa's valuation.

The likelihood of Barry staying at Villa Park has all but disappeared after the club fined him for speaking out against them and in particular, manager Martin O'Neill, in an unauthorised newspaper interview.
O'Neill has made it very clear the he will let Barry join Liverpool, but only when his asking price is met.

In the interview that led to his punishment, Barry criticised Villa for not trying hard enough to keep him even though O'Neill insists they want him to stay.

Barry captained England for the first time and scored his first international goal during the recent friendly against Trinidad and Tobago and Liverpool are very keen to partner him with his England colleague Steve Gerrard in midfield.

It is a shame that the career of Barry, such a loyal servant to Aston Villa over the years, seems to be coming to such an unpleasant end at the club. I hope the two clubs can agree a deal as soon as possible and maybe consider doing their business privately.