Harvey Elliott will be denied a return to Anfield this weekend as he is ineligible to face his parent club – but the out-of-favour Aston Villa star’s Liverpool days are not completely over due to a clause in his contract.
The 22-year-old signed for Unai Emery’s men on Deadline Day on loan with an obligation to buy – but Mail Sport can reveal that commitment is only active once Elliott has played a certain number of games.
It means Elliott could, in theory, return to Liverpool and the Premier League champions not cash in on the £35million fee they had agreed with Villa in the summer. Other clubs, including German sides, retain an interest in the midfielder.
Elliott was left out of Emery’s squad altogether for Villa’s 1-0 win over Manchester City last Sunday and he will not be in the matchday party for Saturday’s trip to Merseyside, though this is due to him being unable to face his parent club.
At this stage, Emery does not appear sold on Elliott and it will take quite a turnaround for him to secure a permanent switch.
Considering Elliott thought so hard about what to do with his future and made the bold decision to move on from Liverpool in search of regular game-time, it is an almighty kick in the teeth for the England Under 21s star who was hoping to attract the attention of Thomas Tuchel this year.
Harvey Elliott moved to Aston Villa at the start of the season from his boyhood club Liverpool
But manager Unai Emery is not sold on Elliott and left him out of the squad against Man City
Should his move to Villa become permanent, it is understood the Premier League champions retain a buy-back clause and will cash a percentage of any future sales.
It is believed Elliott has voiced an understanding of why he is not in the squad at the moment albeit he is frustrated given he left Liverpool this summer on the back of not being able to break into Arne Slot’s regular XI.
