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The strained relationship between Rafael Benítez and Rick Parry deteriorated last night when the Liverpool manager attempted to lay the blame for the farce surrounding the tortuous pursuit of Gareth Barry at the door of the club's chief executive.

Benítez has not given up hope of signing Barry, even though the apparent unwillingness of the Liverpool board to meet Aston Villa's £18million valuation, and the fact that the England midfield player is ineligible for the group phase of the Champions League after playing in the Uefa Cup for the Midlands club this week, would suggest that a deal is unlikely.

As dismayed as Benítez is that his judgment over Barry has been questioned, however, the manager appears to have been more angered by suggestions that he was at fault over the botched pursuit of the player and yesterday he tried to turn the tables, pointing the finger of blame at Parry, who, he says, has been responsible for the protracted negotiations.

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Liverpool face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this evening, but already the new season is in danger of being overshadowed by the backbiting and infighting that plagued the previous campaign.

“I will try to be very clear over the [Barry] situation,” Benítez said. “Everyone has been talking and it seems that the blame is put on me. I get blamed for everything, for global warming to high petrol prices. But in this case I want to be very clear. Since I talked to Martin O'Neill [the Villa manager] about the situation in April, I have not talked to anyone at Aston Villa.

“I was not involved in the talks about Barry, I was not involved in the talks about Xabi Alonso and Arsenal. If you want to talk about these players you must talk to the chief executive, who was handling the discussions. If you want to talk about players, talk to Rick Parry. If you want to talk about football, then you talk with me.”

Although Parry released a statement last weekend saying that the club deemed the price quoted for Barry as “too high”, Benítez appeared to cast some doubt on that assertion yesterday when he claimed that he had been told by Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the owners, since then that there was still money available, without specifying whether it was for Barry or a different player.

“I don't have any problem with the owners,” Benitez said. “I was in contact with them, they told me that we had some money so it's not a problem. I think we can progress. They know the situation.”

Although O'Neill has hinted that Barry may still leave, Randy Lerner, the Villa owner, expressed hope that the player would stay and commit his future to the club, as Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew, the forwards, have done. Carew has signed a one-year extension to tie him to the club until the summer of 2011, while Agbonlahor has put pen to paper on a new four-year deal.