Last Updated: Thu, 08 May 2008 13:32
Martin O'Neill has told Liverpool they will have to raise their £10million offer for Aston Villa skipper Gareth Barry.
O'Neill has vowed to hang on to his leader and says he is not interested in the player-plus-cash offer from Villa's Premier League rivals, adding he wants to build a team around Barry.
O'Neill has spoken to Barry about the offer and intends to sit down with him again after Sunday to outline his vision for the future and convince him he would be better off staying put.
O'Neill said: "Liverpool talked about a £10million bid, which was some cash and some unnamed players. Is Barry undervalued at £10million? Absolutely, without question. This lad is playing for England."
He added: "That is not to say we want to give a certain valuation and then, if Liverpool come up with it, we will do business. That is not what we want to do at all.
"I've spoken to Gareth but we will have further discussions when the season is over. He felt himself he got affected by all the speculation and that it affected his game a bit."