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BARRY INTERESTS WENGER
Barry - admired by Wenger.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has confirmed his interest in Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry.
The 27-year-old looked set to join Liverpool this summer but the two clubs have been unable to agree a deal.
Wenger is in the market for a central midfielder following Mathieu Flamini's move to AC Milan, although Villa's £18million price tag could be a stumbling block.
"There is always interest," Wenger said. "I cannot tell you much more. He's one of the players we follow.
"I find Barry a good player. The problems with players who are 27, 28 is that you pay big money but you get nothing back, no resale."
"I can surprise you sometimes, as I got one in whom you did not expect, and there still might be one more player coming in," said the Arsenal manager.
"You know the position, but I cannot tell you much more."
Wenger's comments come as reports of a serious bid for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso have emerged.
The Daily Mail claims that Arsenal offered £10million for the Spanish midfielder, who had apparently agreed personal terms with the club, but Liverpool dismissed the offer as too low.
However, the possibility of nobody arriving at the Emirates stadium is still a very real one, according to Wenger:
"We are not in a desperate situation because we have Song back from the Olympics, Diaby does not look too far away and hopefully we can good news from [Tomas] Rosicky in the next two weeks.
"We are not short short, but one more body is possible."
Meanwhile, England boss Fabio Capello claims the uncertainty over Barry's future has affected his form for the national team following Wednesday's 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic.
"At the moment the Liverpool situation means he is not at his best," Capello said. "That is my opinion."
Wenger has already dipped into the transfer market this week with defender Mikael Silvestre moving from Manchester United.
And the Gunners manager revealed his fellow Frenchman was close to signing for Manchester City before opting to move to north London.
"He was in advanced talks with Manchester City already," Wenger told the Daily Express.
"I don't know whether he finished the medical or not, he can explain to you, but I heard he was completely free."
