Unai Emery wants Liverpool to free up Harvey Elliott at Aston Villa by removing the buy clause in the midfielder's loan.placeholder image
Unai Emery wants Liverpool to free up Harvey Elliott at Aston Villa by removing the buy clause in the midfielder's loan. | Getty Images
The latest quotes from Unai Emery on Harvey Elliott and what it means for both Aston Villa and Liverpool.
Unai Emery has urged Liverpool to revoke the obligation to buy clause in Harvey Elliott’s loan deal, insisting the Premier League champions hold ‘the key’ in the midfielder’s immediate future.
Elliott joined Villa on loan in the summer with plenty of promise after winning the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Player of the Tournament award, however the midfielder has played merely seven times so far. It’s understood Villa have an obligation to buy Elliott if he racks up 10 appearances across all competitions.
As Emery decided in September that he didn’t want to sign Elliott permanently, the Liverpool man has been left out in the cold. Between a brief cameo against Feyenoord on October 2 and the 2-0 win at Newcastle United on January 25, Elliott hadn’t even been named in a single matchday squad. It has been a brutal period for Elliott, to say the least.
Recent appearances against RB Salzburg and Brentford - his sixth and seventh - spelt a potential light at the end of the tunnel for Elliott at Villa, however the club still insist they will not be buying him. Villa and Liverpool have held regular talks about what can be done, however neither club wants to make a financial or sporting sacrifice to facilitate the other’s needs.
Emery makes bold Liverpool demand
As Villa do not want to pay an early termination fee for the loan and Liverpool are unwilling to revoke the obligation to buy clause, Elliott is stuck in the middle of a transfer tug-of-war; an impasse. As it stands, he can only play two more games for the rest of the season. It’s a desperate situation, and so Emery has made a plea to Liverpool to change their minds.
“I spoke with him (Elliott). We have been fair because there are two ways: one way is a sport, the second is business,” Emery explained to Birmingham Live on Friday. “We'll be fair in case, because we are trying it, and I told him, we are opening the door to play with us, because he can help us.
“But it's not only in my way and on my side. The other side is Liverpool. If they take off the clauses to play matches and for us to buy him, (I said to him) 'you are going to play here with us, it's a sport decision.’
“But now it's a sport decision and a business decision. My sport decision is still there - 'you are deserving to play, we need your qualities in the field, you are going to play.' But in case the clauses are still there, now it is Liverpool - they have the key. And I told him, it will be fair for him in case Liverpool take off this clause,” Emery added.
Liverpool and Villa talks began ‘months ago’
As Birmingham World has explained in several recent reports, talks have been held for some time and they are still ongoing, albeit on and off. Emery has often been quiet about those finer details, but he has now lifted the lid on what’s really going on behind the scenes.
“We are speaking about it (taking off the clause) but not (just) now,” Emery confirmed. “We started speaking about it three months ago. Of course, the transfer window finished on Monday.
“It will be fair for him, because he's a calm guy, good guy, and he's a fantastic professional. And then his qualities are there. Of course he must play, and he's really being patient. And I know we are damaging him, because we got a deal with Liverpool in the summer and the deal is there, and we are respecting the decision, taking the sporting decision responsibly from my side.
“It can change for him, in case Liverpool take off this clause. If they don't want to, okay, but the player is getting damaged.”
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