Villa to up the ante in bid for Baros
Tuesday, 26 July 2005Aston Villa manager David O'Leary is set to step up his bid to sign Liverpool striker Milan Baros in the next 48 hours following the departure of Darius Vassell.
Villa will receive around £2.5million for the services of Vassell who is set to sign a four-year deal with Manchester City believed to be worth around £30,000 a week.
But that will leave O'Leary with only summer signing Kevin Phillips plus club-record signing Juan Pablo Angel and rookie Luke Moore to compete for places in attack.
Villa return from their pre-season tour of Sweden on Wednesday and that is when O'Leary will attempt to open meaningful talks over 23-year-old Baros with Liverpool, who are currently on Champions League duty.
The midlands club are understood to be prepared to pay £5million to £6million for the Czech Republic international - surplus to requirements after the arrival of Peter Crouch - while Liverpool would prefer £7million.
O'Leary is hoping he can help Baros to produce the kind of deadly finishing which has brought him 25 goals in 37 appearances for his country rather than his stop-start form on Merseyside.
O'Leary has around £9million left of his summer transfer kitty to spend after capturing Phillips, Aaron Hughes, Patrik Berger and Stuart Taylor so far this summer for around £3million.
