19/07/2008 06:37 Barry Baulks At Villa's Peace Offering Gareth Barry remains intent on completing his dream switch to Liverpool, despite Aston Vill

Barry effectively severed ties with the club he represented for over a decade when he publicly announced his desire to leave Villa for Merseyside, blasting manager Martin O’Neill in the process.

The England midfielder’s future now hangs in the balance, as the Reds’ interest appears to have cooled somewhat after pricing Xabi Alonso – whose proposed sale to Juventus was expected to fund Barry’s buy – out of the market.

Arsenal have also been linked with the 27-year-old, but Villa’s ₤18million price tag could prove prohibitive given Arsene Wenger’s notoriously thrifty transfer philosophy.

Hence, the Villans have attempted to patch up relations with Barry, offering to forgive and forget regarding all the recent hubbub between the two parties over the last month or so.

But the wantaway skipper has essentially snapped that olive branch over his knee, as O’Neill revealed in The Sun: “We had a meeting and he reiterated that he would like to go to Liverpool.”

This latest development leaves both Villa and Barry in a sticky situation. The club may have to lower their asking price, or they could be stuck with a sulky star rotting in the reserves next season.