Gareth Barry's move from Aston Villa to Manchester City will net him a staggering £130,000-a-week - before bonuses!
The Daily Mail says City moved quickly to take Barry, 28, to Eastlands on a basic salary of around £130,000 a week after first making contact on Monday night and the England midfielder had a medical in London on Tuesday after agreeing a five-year contract.
City's move to sign Barry comes after Liverpool's failure to come up with the money to get his signature and not only emphasises the financial restrictions endured by Rafael Benitez at Anfield but also the enormous wealth enjoyed by a club who cannot yet even offer their new player European football.
One source close to the deal said simply: "City have blown Liverpool out of the water."