Villa have punished captain Gareth Barry on the day Liverpool upped their bid for the player to £15m.
Barry, who recently aired his distasteful views to a tabloid newspaper, has been barred from appearing at training.
The Villa players are due to gather for the first time on Thursday ahead of the new season but their skipper will not be present.
Barry is likely to be stripped of his captaincy with Martin Laursen and Nigel Reo-Coker in the frame to claim the armband.
Liverpool's new bid looks set to be a case of "take it or leave it" and Villa could be forced to sell their rebellious midfielder for below their original asking price.
Barry has made clear his desire to move to Merseyside and the prospect of him ever donning the famous claret and blue again is now unthinkable.
A fresh start for all parties involved in the saga is a necessity as Villa won't want an unhappy Barry on their hands.
Rafa Benitez seems to have succeeded in his tactic of unsettling Barry and may even get his wish of signing the player within the next week.