Harvey Elliott has appeared in both of Aston Villa’s last two matches as Unai Emery’s side aim to find a compromise with Liverpool over the terms of his loan moveplaceholder image
Harvey Elliott has appeared in both of Aston Villa’s last two matches as Unai Emery’s side aim to find a compromise with Liverpool over the terms of his loan move | Getty Images/ Canva
Harvey Elliott has appeared in both of Aston Villa’s last two matches as Unai Emery’s side aim to find a compromise with Liverpool over the terms of his loan move
Premier League sides Aston Villa and Liverpool are reportedly set to hold talks over changing some of the permutations of Harvey Elliott’s season-long loan deal.
The former England Under-21 international, who won the Premier League title with Liverpool last season, moved to Villa Park on deadline day over the summer in a loan move which included a £35m obligation to buy which would come into effect as long as the 22-year-old racked up 10 or more appearances over the season.
Elliott made his debut soon after signing in a 0-0 draw with Everton in September, and went on to score in his first start against Brentford in the League Cup, before also appearing as a sub against Everton and Sunderland.
He started in a 3-1 victory against Fulham but was subbed at half time before making a brief cameo against Feyenoord in the Europa League. That took his overall tally of appearances to six across all competitions before bizarrely the London-born midfielder was frozen out of the squad for the best part of three months.
What next for Harvey Elliott?
Because Elliott played one minute of football as a substitute for Liverpool during a 3-2 Premier League win over Newcastle United, it became clear that he wouldn’t be able to join another Premier League club on loan this season due to rules stipulating that a player can’t play for more than two top-flight European clubs in a single campaign.
However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel from the player’s perspective, with Elliott recently being brought out of the cold by playing both of the last two matches. He played the full 90 minutes against RB Salzburg in Europe and appeared as a sub against Brentford in the league, taking his appearance tally to eight for the season.
Daily Mail Sport understands the clubs will now seek to revise the loan arrangement so that it suits both parties and the player. The report adds that those talks don’t need to be concluded by transfer deadline day unlike incoming and outgoing deals.
What would be the best compromise for both clubs?
Liverpool and Aston Villa have two standout options when it comes to altering Elliott’s existing loan deal.
Neither club benefits from the current arrangement with Elliott essentially taking a Villa squad place without featuring while Liverpool watch the value of their asset diminish.
Mail Sport understands that fresh talks are likely to centre around either raising the appearance target to trigger the obligation, or converting the obligation to buy into an option instead.
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