Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has seemingly been provided with a boost when it comes to making further appearances for Aston Villa.
While Elliott is spending a season on loan at the West Midlands outfit, it has been well-documented that a complex situation has arisen with the playmaker.
Villa have no intention of triggering a £35m option in their agreement with Liverpool to sign the 22-year-old on a permanent basis.
Meanwhile, Liverpool did not attempt to recall Elliott during the winter transfer window, resulting in somewhat of an impasse with the situation.
However, as per Sky Sports News, a compromise has been reached between the two clubs.
Elliott handed appearance boost
The perception has been that Villa cannot play Elliott on 10 occasions in all competitions if they do not want to trigger a permanent deal.
With the former England Under-21 star on seven appearances, it left him facing the prospect of making just two more outings for the remainder of the season.
Instead, it is now claimed that Elliott will only activate the buy-clause if he makes 10 appearances in the Premier League.
Having only made one start and three substitute outings in the top flight, Elliott can play in five of Villa's remaining 12 games.
That effectively becomes 11 matches due to Villa still having to play host to his parent club Liverpool on the penultimate matchday of the season.
Meanwhile, Elliott is also seemingly free to play a full part in Villa's Europa League campaign.
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Right solution for all concerned?
Although it is unclear whether the loan agreement terms have been changed over the past week, it appears that the right solution has been found.
Neither of the two clubs or Elliott would benefit from him playing just two more times during 2025-26.
With Liverpool not participating in the Europa League, it makes sense for Elliott to have the freedom to play in that competition.
Despite Villa and Liverpool being direct rivals for a top-five finish in the Premier League table, Liverpool may feel that Elliott has the qualities to make an impact against other rivals such as Manchester United and Chelsea next month.