Harvey Elliott’s disastrous season could take a fresh and welcome twist this week as Aston Villa and Liverpool remain in talks to cancel his loan.
The England winger has featured just four times for Villa this season and is deemed surplus to requirements under boss Unai Emery.
If the two clubs can agree to cancel his deal, Elliott is likely to head to the MLS because of FIFA rules.
Why Is Harvey Elliott Not Playing At Aston Villa?
It will go down as one of the most detrimental transfers in recent years, with Elliott’s career falling by the wayside.
When Villa signed Elliott, it included an obligation to make his move a permanent one for £35million if he made 10 appearances.
However, Elliott was never a target for Emery and was instead signed by the former Villa Director of Football, Monchi, who departed in September.
Villa are already under tight scrutiny with PSR, and therefore, Emery has been reluctant to play the 22-year-old so they don’t have to sign him permanently.
Elliott hasn’t even made Villa’s Premier League squad since October 19th.
Due to FIFA rules, a player can’t feature for more than two European sides during a season. That has a negative knock-on effect for Elliott, who played one minute for Liverpool in their second game of the season against Newcastle.
Emery was blunt earlier this month when asked about Elliott’s future by declaring “two months ago” that they would not pursue his permanent move.
Where Will Harvey Elliott Go Next?
There appears to be only two real destinations for Elliott: the MLS or Saudi Arabia.
It seems the former appears the most likely, which was further fuelled by former Aston Villa manager and current Charlotte FC boss Dean Smith this week.
He said: “I put the feelers out when I was over there.
“I was thinking about it and thought there is an opportunity there. If he’s not going to play for Villa and he can’t play anywhere else, then it would be an option for him to come and play some games before the World Cup break.
“If he’s not playing between now and the World Cup, it’s a shame. There is an opportunity for him to come and play out here if that’s what Villa and Liverpool want him to do.”
As Liverpool didn’t include a release clause in the loan move, the two clubs will have to negotiate a package to allow Elliott to leave.
That is likely to involve Liverpool waiving the loan fee.
