Gareth Barry off to Italy or Spain and some more rather unsurprising rumours

I love rumours. Rumours for me suggest something is happening if only because one day they've got to get something right and if our name is getting thrown about a bit, it could actually be true that we're after maybe one or two of these.

First up and to wonder boy Gareth Barry, who might not be playing for Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester City next season if either AC Milan or Real Madrid have anything to do with it. You see, those two teams have, apparently, shown an interest. Take what you want from that, I've got a feeling the club will announce that Barry is going to sign a new contract to keep him at the club for the rest of his career.

Don't ask me why I have that feeling, it's just a feeling and I'm not convinced it is the right one for Barry or the team.

Moving on and we have been linked with David Bentley again today, more on that here. You all know I'd like to see a Bentley at Villa Park and I fancy there is some truth in it too.

To some speculation from the other day that isn't good and the talk on the web is that Ryan Babel is going nowhere. I'd have liked Babel, if only because I think he cold turn out just like Dirk Kuyt and I like Dirk Kuyt, but it appears it is not to be and he'll be a Liverpool player again next season.

More speculation and we are once again linked with Kyle Naughton from Sheffield United, which seems to not want to go away. We'll know more for sure on this in a few days as I fancy O'Neill isn't going to want to wait around for the players that he should be able to get in quite easily, which would also suggest, if my reasoning is accurate, that we'll know more about West Brom winger Chris Brunt, although I fancy that is not going to happen.

I've probably missed a peach of a rumour but I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact that ten years ago I could quite easily wake in the morning, have a coffee and a slice of toast and my headache was gone but now, just a few short years down the line a few beers in an evening watching a game of football makes me feel like this.

So on that note, I'm off to drink more coffee than is medically recommended in the hope that I can muster the strength to do something positive with my day.