Aston Villa accept £12m bid for Gareth Barry from Manchester City
Barry is currently with the England squad ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan.
A former England Under-18 captain, he made his England Under-21 debut in 1998 against the Czech Republic and then broke into the full team.
He travelled to Euro 2000 with Kevin Keegan’s England squad – after an injury ruled out Jason Wilcox – but did not feature.
He made his full debut in England’s impressive 1-1 draw with then-World and European Champions France in September 2000 and was expected to develop into a quality international player. However, he fell out of favour with Villa boss John Gregory in the summer of 2001 and handed in a transfer request - and was then dumped in the reserves.
Gregory’s exit gave Barry a new lease of life, and new boss Graham Taylor gave him the chance to shine in that midfield role so many had predicted.
His form continued into the 2002/03 season and Barry was one of the shining lights in an otherwise dull season for Villa.
Impressing further under David O’Leary in 2003/04, Villa finished sixth in the League and opened talks over an extended contract at the end of the season, signing a deal to run until the summer of 2008.
In 2006/07 new manager Martin O’Neill recognised his talent and played him in the centre of midfield, where he blossomed. Captaining the club, Barry ended a four year international exile when he was called up by Steve McClaren in February 2007.
His partnership with Steven Gerrard in midfield raised many eyebrows and Barry’s stock continued to rise throughout the 2007/08 season where he enjoyed personal success, despite Villa failing to make it into the UEFA Cup.
Interest from Liverpool last summer sparked Barry to ask for a transfer, but the Anfield club could not meet O’Neill’s £18million price tag.
