Villa happy to sit and wait

Aston Villa have told Liverpool they are under no pressure to sell skipper Gareth Barry until the price is right which will be in the region of at least £18m.

Villa boss Martin O’Neill has no need to offload the England midfielder on the cheap because it is understood the deal will have no bearing on his own spending power during the summer.

O’Neill, currently working as a TV pundit at the Euro 2008 finals, is believed to be aware of the funds he has at his disposal from club owner Randy Lerner.

Reds manager Rafael Benitez has already had three bids rejected by Villa for 27-year-old Barry.

While it appears inevitable that Barry will move to Anfield, O’Neill will not give the green light until his value of the player is met by Benitez.

A source close to Villa said: “The sale of Barry will have no effect on the plans Martin O’Neill has in place for the summer. Any deal for Barry will be on his and Villa’s terms.”

Benitez is expected to make a fourth offer during the coming week for Barry.

The expected sale of Xabi Alonso to Juventus for a reported £14m may pave the way for what Villa will regard as a more realistic offer for Barry who has been at Villa for 10 years.

Meanwhile Brighton could be set to miss out on around £3m if and when the Barry goes through.

They had a sell-on clause inserted into the deal which saw Barry transferred from the Seagulls to Villa a decade ago.

But is believed the clause was cashed in when the South Coast club were suffering financial problems for around £500,000.