Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez today claimed there were no underhand tactics in his approach for Gareth Barry and suggested Martin O'Neill should come to terms with the prospect of losing the Aston Villa captain.

O'Neill last week attacked Benitez when he was told the Spaniard had claimed to have had "prolonged discussions" with him about Barry, even though Benitez had never been quoted as saying that.

The Irishman has since insisted he and American owner Randy Lerner will make a last-ditch attempt to keep Barry after Liverpool's £10 million offer.

"If your captain wants to leave, it's a problem, but that's football," Benitez told today's Liverpool Echo. The comments are bound to further anger O'Neill, who was furious last week at the manner of Liverpool's approach for the England midfielder.

Liverpool's manager has staunchly defended his actions, saying: "I think the right approach when you want to sign a player is to talk to the manager. I was talking to Martin O'Neill. I said we would like to sign Gareth Barry and asked what the situation was.

"He just said he needed to talk to the owner and I said okay. He will not have any problems with his supporters because he never said to me he wanted to sell Barry.

"We were also talking about (Liverpool goalkeeper) Scott Carson because they have the option to sign him. We were just talking about football so why he was so angry, I do not know.

"I have been very clear. The player had said before that he wanted to play Champions League football. We knew that and so tried to sign a good player. It is that simple.

O'Neill also, however, also suggested Liverpool leaked their initial bid for the player to the media, but Benitez responded: "We made an offer but I think we were straight. When you make an official offer, you do so by fax. Some people see the fax and you cannot control everything.

"I was talking with Martin O'Neill 20 days before that and nobody knew. We were doing things properly".

O'Neill and Lerner will make one last bid to keep hold of Barry in the next 48 hours.

"I wouldn't want to be saying how confident we are (of keeping Barry). It's a different era we live in. We will see," O'Neill has said. "I am going to see the chairman in the next couple of days and, with a bit of luck, the two of us together might be able to persuade him to stay.

"I say persuade him — but he still has two years left on his contract."