Aston Villa’s proposed deals to sign Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott from Manchester United and Liverpool are being finalised, Birmingham World understands.
Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott are both still on track to become Aston Villa players as Unai Emery’s side are expected to complete deals to sign the Man Utd and Liverpool stars on time. Birmingham World has received confirmation from a source close to the club that Villa are on track to confirm the signings of Sancho and Elliott this evening.
Although Sancho is now into the final year of his Man Utd contract, the Red Devils have the option to extend his deal by a further 12 months, so a straight loan has been agreed without a buy option. The Elliott deal is also a loan but includes an obligation to buy for £35 million at the end of the season, a significant detail.
Unai Emery was determined to sign new attacking midfielders before the transfer deadline and he’s been granted his wish. Although the jury is out on whether Sancho will ever live up to his potential, there’s no doubting the former England international is a high-profile addition. Elliott, meanwhile, has perhaps been unfortunate not to start more often for Liverpool.
Aston Villa snap up Jadon Sancho
Sancho, who joined Man Utd from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 for a whopping £73 million, spent last campaign on loan at Chelsea after failing to make the desired impact at Old Trafford. The Blues had an option to buy Sancho but opted against it, instead paying a £5 million penalty fee.
An England international on 23 occasions, Sancho has contributed just 12 goals and six assists in 83 appearances across all competitions for United, last appearing for the Manchester club in the Community Shield in August 2024. For Chelsea, Sancho scored five goals and provided 10 assists in 43 outings.
Before joining United, Sancho was widely regarded as one of the most exciting talents in Europe. The now 25-year-old netted 53 goals and notched 67 assists in 158 games for Dortmund and was tracked by many of Europe’s top clubs. United were delighted to sign him at the time, though it’s not worked out as hoped at Old Trafford.
Emery will be confident he can get Sancho back to his best. It’s a difficult task as there are doubts over his attitude, work rate and current ability, but Villa’s head coach loves such a challenge. The Marcus Rashford deal last January was similar in that sense.
Harvey Elliott deal over the line
Elliott could also be a very handy addition for Villa. The 22-year-old, who has scored 14 goals in 28 caps for England Under-21, played just 360 minutes in the Premier League last campaign but was has been used off the bench regularly throughout the past three seasons.
Elliott has fallen further down the pecking order at Liverpool following Florian Wirtz’s record arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, so a move away has been on the cards for a while. Villa, in desperate need of depth and quality in midfield and wide areas, could provide the former Fulham man with far more regular minutes.
Emery loves a versatile asset and Elliott is certainly one of those. The midfielder, eager to impress ahead of the World Cup, could lock down the right wing spot as the likes of John McGinn and Donyell Malen have looked uncomfortable in that role so far this season. Another option could be to start Elliott in the number 10 role, with Morgan Rogers back out on the right flank.