Harvey Elliott is likely to be on the move this summerplaceholder image
Harvey Elliott is likely to be on the move this summer | Getty Images
Liverpool have a lot of work to do this summer - and there’s one key sale that would help them out.
Elliott seemed to have the world at his feet on 28 June 2025 when he helped England Under-21s to a second consecutive European Championship while scoring his fifth goal of the tournament in the final and winning the Player of the Season award. The 22-year-old seemed to be linked with just about every team outside of the top four in England, and appeared destined to have a breakthrough campaign similar to one of Anthony Gordon, who was the recipient of the Player of the Tournament award two years earlier in pre-season before having a stellar campaign with Newcastle in 2023/24.
Elliott attracted interest from the likes of Brighton, West Ham and Fulham, but opted against joining those clubs due to joining a club that had qualified for European football in the form of Aston Villa. But that’s gone south, and now his future is up in the air.
What’s gone wrong for Harvey Elliott at Aston Villa?
From the outside looking in, Elliott’s loan move to Aston Villa, which included a £35m obligation to buy at the end of the season, seemed like a masterstroke for everyone involved.
Villa were still winless in the Premier League at the time, had started the season slowly, and looked in need of a player to bring fresh excitement and competition for Morgan Rogers in a demanding campaign in terms of fixtures.
Elliott didn’t set the world alight on his debut in a 0-0 draw against Everton after appearing as a sub, but did actually score the club’s first goal of the season during a draw with Brentford in the EFL Cup before the team exited the competition on penalties.
Further opportunities followed against Feyenoord and Sunderland before a first league start against Fulham. He was substituted at half time before the team picked up a first win of the season - and from then on the mystery around Elliott and his sudden disappearance from the matchday squad started to take centre stage.
Reports later emerged that Elliott’s obligation to buy clause would only come into effect if he played 10 matches. Villa appeared reluctant to play that figure leaving him in limbo for most of the campaign. He has since played twice more, including once as a sub in the league and the full 90 minutes against RB Salzburg, but wasn’t recalled by Liverpool and wasn’t sold to another club either due to being ineligible to play for another team this season.
How Liverpool should handle Elliott - and why Fulham could benefit
Elliott has effectively wasted an entire season of his career playing for Aston Villa, and though it’s reported by Football Insider that he could be offered to them for around £20m, it seems unlikely he’d opt to move to Villa Park based on the lack of confidence they have shown him.
Similarly, Liverpool don’t seem to have a plan for him moving forward, otherwise you’d have imagined in January they would have recalled him when they had the chance. The holders are likely to want to sell Elliott for as much as possible and could benefit from his £20m departure from a PSR standpoint as they look to strengthen any weaknesses in their squad. This could lead to a club like Brighton or perhaps Fulham reigniting their interest in the former England Under-21 international.
The Seagulls have a strong reputation for developing young talent in their team and are a steady Premier League side with ambitions of Europe.
Similarly, Fulham have a good record of signing fringe players from higher Premier League clubs such as Alex Iwobi, Emile Smith-Rowe, Bernd Leno, Ryan Sessegnon and in-demand midfielder Harry Wilson in recent years. Elliott’s been at the club before as a youngster is from the London area and could make sense as a feasible transfer target, particularly if Wilson decides to leave on a free in the summer.
Continue Reading