Man City in bid to lure Barry to Manchester

June 2, 2009

BIRMINGHAM (AFP) – England midfielder Gareth Barry has opened negotiations with Manchester City about a potential move to Eastlands from his current club Aston Villa.

Barry, 28, came close to joining Liverpool last year and was expected to be a target for them again this summer.

But it now seems as if the Reds will have to match any offer made by City, who have reportedly indicated that they are willing to pay 12 million pounds for a player with only one year left on his contract.

City, who are owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, are expected to be big players in the close season transfer market and manager Mark Hughes is a long-standing admirer of Barry.

The midfielder is currently preparing for England’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra and is thought unlikely to make any decision on his future until after those matches on June 6 and 10.

Although City cannot offer him Champions League football — which was one of the reasons he gave for requesting a transfer when Liverpool made their bid last year — Barry could be tempted to Eastlands by the prospect of significantly increased wages and the prospect of regular first-team football in the run-up to next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.

Barry has spent his entire career at Villa, making over 400 appearances since he emerged from the youth ranks.

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