Villa no to Barry-Milner swap

Aston Villa will not swap versatile defender Gareth Barry for Newcastle's James Milner.

Milner has held talks with the St James' Park outfit to sort out his future, amidst claims that he could be used in a swap deal for the Villa stalwart.

The England Under-21 international impressed on loan at Villa Park last season, but manager David O'Leary has repeatedly stated his desire to keep his 25-year-old left-footer and will not sacrifice Barry to land Milner.

"We're not sure where this story has come from, but Villa fans can rest assured there's no substance to it whatsoever," Villa's operations director Steve Stride told the club's website.

Twenty-five-year-old Barry has been at the club for some nine seasons now, which is why he was linked with a move to the North East or Tottenham Hotspur.

But the Birmingham side will surely need to retain his services if they are to resurrect their dreams of Premiership success for the coming season.