Martin O'Neill, the Aston Villa manager, has launched a scathing attack on Liverpool over what he believes to be the Merseyside club's “deliberate” and “disrespectful” attempt to unsettle Gareth Barry.

O'Neill received a fax from Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, on Thursday afternoon offering a number of unspecified players in a £10million part-exchange deal for Barry, the Villa captain.

Given the importance of Villa's game at home to Wigan Athletic today - when victory would move them into fifth place, above Everton, who do not play until tomorrow, away to Arsenal - O'Neill said that he was appalled by the timing of Liverpool's approach and dismissed the offer out of hand.

“There was no £10million cash offer,” O'Neill said. “It was an offer of cash-plus-mish-mash of nameless players. I've disregarded it. However, there is the possibility of me faxing back and saying I'd consider a cash deal for Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, although it might be the case they don't want to leave Liverpool.

“To say I'm disappointed would be a massive understatement. The fax was signed as a pp on behalf of the chief executive. I've not had time yet to answer it formally. This is a deliberately unsettling tactic. Is it disrespectful? Absolutely. It's been very disruptive.”

O'Neill said that he would be taking the matter up with Liverpool - “It's not the way you want to be conducting business and it's not the way the Liverpool of old used to do business,” he said - and added that the situation would only strengthen his resolve to keep Barry. The England midfield player has two years remaining on his £47,000-a-week contract but Villa are prepared to offer a vastly improved deal at the end of the season.

“You know, Aston Villa Football Club has ambitions,” O'Neill said. “For us to break into the Champions League demands very good players and letting our very best players go is not what we want to do. We don't want to be a feeder club. Gareth Barry is one of our very, very best players.

“I watched Liverpool at Chelsea on Wednesday night. I have sampled some great Champions League nights with Celtic. Anyone worth their salt wants to be involved in that and we have a better chance of achieving it with the likes of Gareth in the team.

“I thought Gareth had made it clear he is waiting until the end of the season. Come that time, I shall be sitting down with him. I would want him to stay. He doesn't strike me as the kind of man who would be breaking his contract so we have much to discuss.”

The manner of the approach for Barry will do little to alter the belief of Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, that Parry is not the man to be handling the club's transfer negotiations, while the fact that the club were unable to make a straight cash offer for the player will again raise questions about the finances of George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, the embattled American owners.

Although Hicks is said to be drawing up a business plan to find the £300million needed for the construction of Liverpool's proposed new 71,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park, serious doubts have been cast about his ability to raise the funds. Perhaps more troubling, however, is the prospect of Benítez having insufficient funds to make serious inroads in the transfer market this summer, though that scenario would change if Dubai International Capital won control of the club.

Explore Football

• Premier League

• Football League

• Scotland

• European Football

• International Football

• Live Match Tracker

• The Fink Tank

• Fantasy Football