Martin O'Neill's feud with Liverpool went into overdrive yesterday when the Aston Villa manager accused Rafael Benítez of lying over allegations that he has been engaged in prolonged conversations with his Anfield counterpart about the future of Gareth Barry.

The Liverpool manager has reportedly claimed that he has been negotiating with O'Neill for three weeks over the proposed acquisition of the England midfield player. The Villa manager responded with fury yesterday, insisting that he had told Benítez that he did not wish to sell Barry when he received the first of two phone calls that he has taken from the Spaniard on the matter.

Barry, 27, has two years remaining on his contract but is eager to play in the Champions League while he is at his peak. He has stated that he will deliberate whether to stay on at Villa Park after the season ends. O'Neill was angered last week by news of Liverpool's faxed £10million bid leaking out, but this exacerbated antagonism with Anfield will only make O'Neill dig his heels in. Should Barry's inclination persuade Villa to sell, Chelsea and Arsenal may be alerted by the furore.

O'Neill accused Benítez of showing no respect to anyone. “The prolonged conversation over three weeks is not prolonged,” O'Neill said. “It's just not true. It's disingenuous to say we've had prolonged conversations - and he knows that. Rafa said something about waiting until the end of the season because he wanted to respect our view. Rafa doesn't respect anything, in my view.”

Villa have long been linked with Peter Crouch, who, appearing less frequently for Liverpool than Barry does for England, was valued at £15million by Benítez this week. “Benítez can put a price on a player with one year left on his contract because he is playing for England,” O'Neill said. “Gareth Barry is playing more regularly for England, but he [Benitez] can talk about £10million, which includes cash and players. It makes a laughing stock of what he said before. It's a long time since I've been this angry.

“I noticed the headline that said I'd been exposed because I'd spoken to Rafa 20 days ago. I never denied I had a conversation, but we have had no prolonged conversation since. Rafa Benítez is quoted as saying he knew my idea and I knew his. What idea did I have? The only idea I had was to get him off the phone and to say ‘no'.

“I was going to a reserve game. I told him I was not interested in selling, but I would put it to my owner [Randy Lerner], who deserved to be told about these things. I said to him I would assume Randy's viewpoint would concur with my own. That was the case. The next time I spoke to Rafa was last Friday, when he rang me to ask if I'd seen his offer. It was only after I put the phone down that I realised the story had broken in the Liverpool Echo.

“I phoned him back immediately to say I was amazed to find out that the story had appeared in the local paper. I felt I had to answer this. Aston Villa fans are very anxious to keep Gareth Barry and they would be more than disappointed to find out we may have been in constant discussion with Liverpool. But Villa fans should know that any calls have come from Liverpool.

“To say that I have been exposed suggests some kind of fraudulent behaviour. I can't guarantee Gareth Champions League football. I'd say Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea could and Liverpool are strong - and so they should be, they have spent enough - but, at the end of it, that's our aim.”

Villa's ambitions this season are restricted to pipping Everton for fifth place in the Barclays Premier League - and so qualifying for the Uefa Cup - by winning away to West Ham United tomorrow and hoping that David Moyes's team lose at home to Newcastle United.

Otherwise, Villa must match Blackburn Rovers' result away to Birmingham City to finish sixth and claim entry to the Intertoto Cup.

Olof Mellberg, leaving for Juventus, plays his last game for Villa; the chances of Barry following him out of the exit door may have receded after Liverpool's handling of their approach.

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