EPL: Is Aston Villa's Adored Captain Mad to Leave For Liverpool?

Liverpool have a nasty habit of poaching idolised club captains from sides with ambitions of breaking into a domestic top four, and it seems that Gareth Barry is next on their hit list.

With Martin O’Neill clearly furious that the Reds’ bid was made public, Barry’s future is looking more uncertain than ever. He has not distanced himself from these rumours, sparking fear amongst Villa fans that his tenure as skipper might be coming to an end. But should he be tempted to Merseyside?

At Atletico Madrid, Fernando Torres had it all. The captain’s armband at only 19, a guaranteed place in the side and legions of adoring fans that worshipped the ground he walked on.

Why, then, did he turn his back on his boyhood club to join a side in a foreign league with no guarantee of success?

According to the man himself, the final straw was a lack of ambition, exemplified when fans wanted Atletico to lose to Barcelona just so Real Madrid wouldn’t win the title. That, alongside missing out on UEFA Cup football, prompted Torres to sign for Liverpool in the summer of 2007.

With Barry at Villa, the situation appears to be similar, if not identical. The fans love him, as exemplified by the swarms of banners adorning Villa Park begging him to stay.

UEFA Cup football could end up in Merseyside rather than Birmingham next year. Yet, Martin O’Neill’s ambition is something that cannot be questioned. He is extremely unwilling to let any of his players leave, least of all the captain he envisages building the team around.

However, what could spell the end for Barry’s Villa career could well be the lure of Champions League football, something that cannot be offered at Villa Park next season. Should they fail to qualify for Europe this year, a concrete offer seems inevitable.

But should Barry walk out on the Villains as Torres did at Atletico? Ultimately, the split between loyalty and desire to further his career could decide it. At 27, the time is ripe for a big money move. He is fast approaching his peak and will now have to decide where to spend the best years of his footballing life.

Money should not come into it, with Villa likely to come close to whatever Liverpool will offer him. If he does decide to move on, it will be purely for footballing reasons.

And with an almost annual push for the Champions League title under Benitez, the draw of glamour European nights at Anfield could prove too strong to resist.