Aston Villa's move to sign Harvey Elliott from Liverpool has, without a doubt, been the worst signing of the season so far.
Unai Emery's side made the late move to bring in the England Under-21's international on deadline day on an initial loan move, with a clause that the transfer would become permanent for around £35m once Elliott has featured ten times for the Villans.
However, the playmaker has now fallen completely out of favour at Villa Park, and Emery has publicly stated that there is 'no way' the deal will be made permanent, with the manager leaving the player out of matchday squads intentionally to ensure that the clause is never triggered.
Aston Villa Must Pay to Cancel Elliott Loan Early
Harvey Elliott
Elliott made one appearance for Liverpool before making the move to Aston Villa, and he has since made five appearances for his new side too. As per FIFA rules, Elliott is now unable to play for another team in the 2025/26 season, and that makes his situation very tricky.
The two clubs have held talks about Elliott returning to Anfield to be part of Arne Slot's side for the second half of the season, but according to The Athletic there is now a new twist in the tale.
The initial loan deal did not include a recall clause for Liverpool, and it has now been revealed that the situation is not as simple as Elliott just returning to Anfield with Villa cancelling his loan early. In fact, Villa must pay Liverpool a termination clause in order to send the 22-year-old back, which is something they don't want to do.
Villa also don't want to keep paying the player's wages for the rest of the season, knowing they have no intention of using him between now and the end of the campaign, or signing him permanently. But Liverpool sanctioned his permanent exit too, and won't want to miss out on any cash they are owed as a result of the agreement.
Elliott Future Hanging In The Balance
Harvey Elliott in action for the England under-21 side
While Elliott pushed to leave Anfield last summer in order to gain more regular first-team football, it has gone completely wrong for him, with The Athletic describing the deal as a 'nightmare'.
Elliott featured for a single minute in the Premier League for Liverpool in August, and that decision has essentially cost him an entire season of football and development.
The reason for Emery's decision not to use him is unclear publicly, but January will surely see a solution found between all parties to get one of the country's best young prospects back into the game.
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