Gareth Barry: "I was very close to joining Liverpool"

Everton midfielder Gareth Barry has revealed that he was close to joining Liverpool in 2009 but the Reds weren't willing to match Aston Villa's asking price.

Then Reds boss Rafael Benitez was looking for a replacement for Xabi Alonso who was poised to move to Real Madrid and wanted Barry, which didn't go down well with supporters who let their feelings known to the England international.

Barry told The Mirror: "I was very, very close to joining Liverpool. I had told Martin O'Neill I wanted to leave but ultimately they didn't stump up the fee.

"The big thing with the Liverpool fans was that it looked like one of their favourites was leaving, in Alonso, and they looked at me as the reason for it.

"I still remember watching a pre-season friendly and they made it obvious they weren't keen on me coming in to replace him! He was a fantastic player and I can understand it."

Barry is expected to be part of the Everton side to take on Liverpool in the Merseyside derby later today.