Liverpool will reportedly increase their offer for Aston Villa's Gareth Barry as soon as Xabi Alonso has completed his move to Juventus.

The Italian club are getting closer to Rafa Benitez' £15m valuation of the Spaniard and the Liverpool Echo claims he will quickly try and sign Barry as a replacement for the Spaniard.

The Reds have been buoyed by Barry's very thinly-veiled appeal for Liverpool to match Aston Villa's valuation and give him the Champions League football he craves.

They have already had one bid rejected that included a cash sum of £8-10m plus an assortment of players, but that bid is likely to be raised to one worth £15m that includes Peter Crouch.

The Birmingham Evening Mail reports Villa boss Martin O'Neill will hold talks with Barry this week but 'realisticaly his main target now is to persuade £8-million rated Peter Crouch to become part of a swap deal'.

Barry has given his biggest hint yet that he sees his future away from Villa Park, saying: "It's obviously very flattering.

"The team has made a bid for me but until the bid gets accepted I can't even think about it.

"Champions League football helps any player. You only have to look at the England squad to see the amount of players who get in the squad and start the games - the majority play in the Champions League.

"That's all about the decision that will have to be made by myself. Liverpool are in the Champions League and Villa are trying to push for that. That's all part of my decision if a bid gets accepted."

Villa will apparently use the money to help fund moves for Steve Sidwell and James Milner.

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