Villa have already turned down three offers from Reds boss Rafael Benitez for their star player. Barry has been disciplined for criticising manager Martin O'Neill in the Sunday papers.

Barry said the club had made little effort to convince him to stay on and that he had not heard from manager O'Neill since the end of the season.

A club statement said: "The report in today's paper of a £17 million offer for Gareth Barry is inaccurate.

"The club have received a renewed offer from Liverpool for the player but that still falls well short of Aston Villa's evaluation, and has subsequently been rejected."

Benitez is said to be interested in signing the 27-year-old England international to play alongside Reds skipper Steven Gerrard. The two are said to be friends and they play well together for the national team.