Reports today suggest that Liverpool striker Andriy Voronin will be sold by the club to raise the extra cash they need to secure the services of Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry.

As the Barry transfer saga rumbles on, Villa still don’t look like they’re prepared to back down from their £17million plus Steve Finnan valuation of the England international.

And now Voronin, who arrived at Anfield on a free transfer last summer as a replacement for the departing Robbie Fowler, could be sacrificed to raise an estimated £3million for the Reds’ transfer kitty.

With Arsenal also interested in signing Barry, Benitez has been ushered to speed his pursuit of Barry up.

Voronin is expected to return to German football and reports today value him at around £3million.

The departure of Voronin however would surely put further pressure on the club to come up with the funds to sign a new striker, after Peter Crouch’s departure last week.