According to his agent, Alex Black, Barry has asked that he is allowed to leave the club to join
The Merseyside outfit have made no secret of their desire to acquire Villa's midfield maestro and it appears they may have finally got their man.
Surely it was never in doubt after Rafa Benitez made his interest known to the Press and Steven Gerrard linked up with Barry in the
Both are keen admirers of a player who has given his all for Villa and they would love him to grace the stage at Anfield.
Anguish
The Villa skipper clearly wants Champions League football and it's a destiny he doesn't think can be fulfilled in the
But, his departure is likely to cause great anguish for a set of fans who really started to believe that
A season of progression under Barry's colossal captaincy brought a superb sixth place finish.
By all accounts Villa were dynamic and fresh, qualities which have been lacking during most of Barry's tenure at the club.
In fact, Villa came close to beating
Ironically, Crouch is on the summer shopping list of Martin O'Neill and could be used as bait in the Barry deal.
Crumbs
It is expected that Villa will ask for at least £8m plus the
It could be seen as a good move for the Claret and Blue but if the top four really is a realistic goal, players like Barry must remain.
Unfortunately, it looks like Villa are feeding the appetite of the Big Four and merely taking the crumbs from their top table.
Barry will be tough to replace but keeping a player who doesn't want to be at the club brings little reward.
Lerner must now spend big to replace a Holte Hero but it is not just Barry's void that must be filled.
If Villa hope to keep Young, Agbonlahor and Co. the sight of world class players signing for the club must be a constant theme this summer.