Aston Villa playmaker Harvey Elliott continues to be surplus to requirements under Unai Emery, but could still seal a move away beyond deadline day if he's up to it.
Villa wrapped up their deadline day business without solving the Elliott mess that's been hanging over the club all season long.
England's Harvey Elliott and England's Jay Stansfield celebrate after the match as Germany's Rocco Reitz looks dejected
The Midlands side instead had a busy January bringing back fan favourites Tammy Abraham and Douglas Luiz.
Abraham arrived from Besiktas for £18 million after banging in 13 Turkish goals, whilst Luiz returned on loan from Juventus after his nightmare spell at Nottingham Forest got terminated early.
Brian Madjo and Alysson also joined on deals from FC Metz and Gremio respectively, with the exciting youngsters helping to bolster Emery's injury-ravaged squad.
However, the elephant in the room throughout January has been Elliott's nightmare situation.
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The 22-year-old joined Villa from Liverpool on deadline day last September with a £35 million obligation to buy once he makes 10 appearances.
He's currently stuck on seven games after Emery completely froze him out for nearly four months between October and late January.
Emery has been brutally honest about not rating Elliott highly enough to justify spending that kind of money. The Spanish gaffer admitted two months ago Villa decided they're not convinced about signing him permanently, which basically condemned the midfielder to purgatory despite training with the first team.
The Athletic reported neither Liverpool nor Villa would budge during the transfer window. Emery's side would have needed to pay a termination fee to send Elliott back early, which they refused to do.
Liverpool's Harvey Elliott celebrates
Liverpool's Harvey Elliott celebrates
Liverpool, meanwhile, had no intention of waiving any compensation to allow an early exit.
Sources close to Elliott admitted the player desperately hoped for an early return to Anfield (BBC), but FIFA rules blocked him joining another European club mid-season since he'd already featured for Liverpool in the Premier League before his Villa move.
That left him waiting until deadline day for any sign of resolution.
Harvey Elliott makes transfer decision with out-of-window Villa exit possible
Now that deadline day has been and gone, you'd think that the midfielder would be in limbo until the end of the season, but Elliott could have a lifeline.
Harvey Elliott celebrates for Liverpool
MLS sides, most notably Charlotte FC, were keen on the Englishman last month but no move materialised.
Luckily for Elliott, the MLS transfer window is actually still open until the end of March, meaning that he has an exit route out of Villa until that point, as is the case with other countries, with their windows also still open.
However, according to the BBC's Nick Mashiter this afternoon, Elliott has decided he has no interest in a move to the States, and is instead likely to remain in the Midlands until his loan deal expires.
That MLS option apparently isn't being considered by the playmaker whatsoever, despite his current situation.
The Express and Star confirmed Monday's deadline passed without any alteration to Elliott's 10-match clause too.
unai-emery-aston-villa-premier-league
Villa sources insist the terms remain unchanged despite Elliott featuring in their last two matches — a full 90 minutes against Red Bull Salzburg followed by a late cameo against Brentford.
So, Elliott does in fact find himself in absolute limbo.
He's just three appearances away from triggering the £35 million purchase Villa don't want to make, yet he might be forced into action purely because Emery has run out of midfield bodies.
What an absolute nightmare situation for everyone involved, and a fall from grace for last summer's England Under-21 superstar.
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