Gareth Barry will resume first team training with his Aston Villa team-mates in the morning following a surprise announcement by the club.
Just hours before Villa were due to undertake a pre-season friendly with Lincoln at Sincil Bank, a club statement confirmed that the England midfielder and Villa captain would be returning to training at the club's Bodymoor Heath headquarters at 10am tomorrow (WED).
The annoncement comes just hours after Serie A side Juventus revealed they are no longer interested in the services of Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso after buying a cut-price alterntaive in £7.4m Danish International Christian Poulsen from Seville.
It is understood Juve - who have already taken Villa defender Olof Mellberg this summer - were left reeling by the Reds' £14 million price tag for Alonso in a deal which was ecpected to raise the capital to buy Barry from Villa who have themsleves rated their skipper at around £18 million.
Barry had been left in limbo for the last week after being told not to report to pre-seaosn training on July 7 following his comments made in a Sunday newspaper in which he criticised his manager for not making hin feel wanted at Villa. Barry was also denied the chance to travel with the team on their two-match mini pre-season training camp to Zurich last week.
Barry's comments in which he also slammed O'Neill for covering the Euro 2008 Championships ibstead of dealing with transfers, had Villa supporters up in arms and it was feared that if Barry was forced to rejoin his team-mates then supporters would be very reticient to see him back in their side.
But now Villa fanzine message boards suggest supporters would be prepared to forgive and forget should Barry's move falter. They seem prepared to welcome him back provided he is prepared to return his focus back onto Aston Villa and their push this year into Europe.
News that the sale of Alonso had crashed coupled with the announcement Barry is to train with his team-mates again will be a huge blow to Liverpool boss Bentitez who has to sell in order to buy in the players he wants.
The Spaniard currently has around £8-£10 million in the kitty following the sale of Peter Crouch to Portsmouth but is still way short of the additional millions O'Neill is demanding for his skipper.
Villa supporters gathering for the pre-season match at Sincil Bank were ponering whether Villa had had enough of Liverpool's protracted dealings and failure to match their asking price or whether Barry had gone cap in hand to his manager who he has always had a good relationship with in the past.
Roger Winter, 53, from Tamworth said: "I hope this means Barry stays. None of us wanted to lose him but his comments did seem to be forcing the manager's hand." Friend Peter Royal of Sutton Coldfield, who travelled to the match with his son Rob, 15, said: "Barry and Liverpool have not handled this situation very well but as long as he wears claret and blue we will back him 100 per cent. He must have done some thing to make the manager give him another chance but we shouldn't be too complacent- this may just mean he is still off but in due course."
Others spe ulated that Villa were merely keeping their captain fit with the view to his eventual transfer with the start of the Premier League season now only a month away.
