Aston Villa must do everything to keep Gareth Barry or face a slide in the Premier League

As the summer transfer rumours start doing the rounds, Gareth Barry is the subject of much conjecture.

His departure from Aston Villa has been well documented, with Rafa Benitez being a strong admirer of the England midfielder. Barry is the talisman of the Aston Villa side and is most likely the one player that the club could not live without. Most of the play goes through the versatile midfielder and his loss would be a massive blow for the club.

The rumour mill has thrown out another interesting story in the shape of a proposed bid from an Italian club for the Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard. Rafa Benitez was keen to state that Gerrard had two years left on his contract and will remain a Liverpool player for some time.

If this wasn't the case and the club were forced into accepting a huge offer for the star, then would this have the same effect on Liverpool FC as the sale of Barry would to Aston Villa? Gerrard is a player of immense talent; there aren't many players like him who can pick a team up and carry them towards victory and even, at times, will the ball into the net.