Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has confirmed that Arsenal have hinted they may enter the race to sign midfielder Gareth Barry.

Liverpool have been locked in negotiations with Villa over the player's sale for several weeks, but reports at the weekend suggested a deal with Arsenal could be a possibility.

And O'Neill has now revealed that Arsene Wenger's assistant manager Pat Rice spoke with the club, intimating that Arsenal could be set to step their interest in Barry as they look for a replacement for Mathieu Flamini.

"Myself and Steve Walford both know Arsene Wenger's assistant Pat Rice," O'Neill told The Sun.