Conflicting Barry reports

The Gareth Barry soap opera took a new twist on Wednesday. According the club’s official site, Aston Villa have ended negotiations with Liverpool over the potential transfer of the player.

An announcement on the Aston Villa official site read:

This evening, Aston Villa can announce that Gareth Barry will be staying with the club following the interest from Liverpool over the recent months.

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 and so Gareth will remain with Villa.

Despite this statement from the Villa board, The Daily Mail later reported that a deal will go through today. According to the report, Barry will cost Benitez about £17.5 million plus Steve Finnan.

[Sources: The Official Website of Aston Villa Football Club, The Daily Mail]