Liverpool could be set for January windfall as club hoping to agree deal

Aston Villa will have to pay Liverpool to terminate the loan of Harvey Elliott, reports suggest.

The attacking midfielder moved to Villa Park from the Reds on summer transfer deadline day. At the time, it appeared that Elliott had said a permanent goodbye to his boyhood club, with Villa having an obligation to make the deal permanent for £35 million if he made 10 appearances.

But despite leaving Liverpool in the hope for regular football - he did not make a single start en route to the Reds winning the Premier League title last term - Elliott has been surplus to requirements at Unai Emery’s high-fliers.

Elliott has played just five times and been omitted from Villa’s past 10 Premier League match-day squads - most recently the 2-1 win over Chelsea, which was an 11th successive win for Emery’s troops. He has been overlooked in the No.10 position, with the likes of Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia preferred.

Per The Athletic, Liverpool do not have a recall clause in Elliott’s deal so Villa would have to pay to end the loan. The Birmingham-based outfit are hoping that they can broker a new agreement with the Reds. It is said there has been ‘great disappointment and unhappiness on the player’s part in being denied an opportunity to prove himself’.

If Elliott does return to Anfield, he would not be able to play for another European club this season. The former England under-21 international came off the bench for Liverpool in a 3-2 win at Newcastle United in August, meaning that he has represented two clubs. FIFA rules allow players to only play official matches for two teams in a single season to protect integrity.

Speaking on Elliott’s situation earlier this month, Villa head coach Emery said: “First, my decision and also the situation. He is on loan playing with us, but he is not definitely adding to us with a permanent contract.

"Hopefully we can get the best for him and the best for us. I respect him as a player and as a person. He is training well, but we have one circumstance with him. Hopefully we can get a solution for him to try to play consistently and try to continue in his career with us or not."

Elliott’s potential return to Liverpool would bolster attacking options for the upcoming period. Mo Salah is currently representing Egypt at the African Cup of Nations and could be unavailable for another few weeks.

Meanwhile, Alexander Isak will be sidelined for at least a couple of months after breaking his leg during a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.