BARRY - LATEST

Incoming Liverpool signing Gareth Barry has formally rejected an opportunity to sign for Arsenal, after the Gunners matched our offer for the midfielder.

The Aston Villa skipper is due on Merseyside for a medical after telling his current employers that if they blocked his proposed move to Anfield, he would buy himself out of his contract next year for around £2million.

Publicly there has been a lack of progress but with Liverpool having been on their travels, no medical was going to be performed until the Reds returned to prepare for Lazio.

A medical is booked in for today but it's claimed that the player has still not been given permission to 'officially' talk to us, unless has something has changed overnight.