Aston Villa have used Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott very sparingly.
Aston Villa may have made it clear that they have no intention whatsoever of signing Harvey Elliott permanently in the summer, but the midfielder can at least now look forward to a productive end to the season after a loophole in his loan deal from Liverpool was revealed, while another potential summer transfer has now also been ruled out.
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The 22-year-old moved to Aston Villa on the last day of the transfer window this summer, on an initial loan that would have been made permanent for £35 million if he reached a certain number of appearances under Unai Emery. However, as Emery quickly made it clear that he did not want the player, nor would he allow him to reach that number for Villa, Elliott has been left in career limbo, given that the deal did not include an option for Liverpool to call him back.
The conditions for triggering a permanent deal were understood to be set at 10 games, and this number was widely reported by several media outlets.
Locked on seven appearances for Villa, and with only two of those since the end of October, it has truly been a wasted season for a star who was named the tournament’s best player at the European Under-21 Championship this summer and looked set to take his career to the next level.
However, the Birmingham Mail’s John Townley has now revealed that the number of appearances only applies to Premier League games – giving Elliott a real chance to play a more prominent role throughout the season.
As of today, Elliott has only made four appearances so far in the Premier League, meaning he could still be involved on five more occasions during the club’s last 12 league games of the season.
More importantly, he can still play for Villa as often as Emery picks him in the Europa League; a competition Villa have high hopes of going far in, and with the club already progressing to the last eight, where they will face one of PAOK, Celta Vigo, Lille or Red Star Belgrade.
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Another big summer transfer ruled out for Harvey Elliott
For now, however, Elliott is injured and is expected to be out for another two weeks, and Emery confirmed that he would not be in the squad for Saturday’s game against Leeds at Villa Park.
“He’s injured now. He is not available due to injury,” Emery told the media on Friday.
“I was very clear a month ago. I think we have to keep going, and of course help him as much as we can. And then try to make him feel comfortable here.
“He will be available more or less to play in Europe. We’re now in February, trying to focus on the Premier League, trying to focus on Europe.”
While Villa will not sign him, another side that is regularly mentioned with interest in Elliott is Leeds United.
However, according to BBC Radio Leeds’s Adam Pope, a move to Elland Road is not on the summer agenda for Daniel Farke and co., who are likely to direct their energy towards other parts of the team.
“His ability, as witnessed by Emery, is not questionable, and the England Under-21 international has the time on his side to continue improving,” Pope began.
“But Leeds United’s priorities seem to lie elsewhere this summer. A top goalkeeper and a striker – considering they were prepared to spend a similar amount to Elliott’s valuation on Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen before his move to Crystal Palace – is where I expect to see the bulk of the transfer budget spent.”
Asked again about midfield reinforcements, Pope believes there is one area of the pitch where Leeds are well manned.
“I say that because the midfield is where United have a lot of resources with Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach contracted until 2029 and Ao Tanaka until 2028.
“I think Elliott would improve the squad as it is, in my opinion, but at this stage it is a hypothetical question whether he is under consideration as Leeds’ Premier League status needs to be secured.”
Villa and Liverpool battle for Spurs star; shock move on the horizon for Jadon Sancho
Meanwhile, Villa and Leeds have made new enquiries on a Czech attacking midfielder who is putting up incredible numbers in Ligue 1 right now, but Crystal Palace pose a threat, sources have told TEAMtalk.
Emery is also believed to be keen to add more quality to his midfield ranks this summer, with sources revealing that Aston Villa continue to keep a close eye on Lucas Bergvall’s situation and could test Tottenham’s resolve if an opportunity presents itself in the summer.
However, Liverpool are also said to be interested and are also ready to join the race to sign the versatile Swedish midfielder.
Elsewhere, we can reveal that surprising talks are underway between Jadon Sancho and one of his former clubs about a surprise summer move.
And while we understand that Emery is also keen to explore the terms of a permanent deal for a winger who will be available on a free transfer, we can reveal that they are far from the only side in the mix for his signature, with three other Italian teams also interested.
