Liverpool open fresh talks to ease Harvey Elliott dilemma at Aston Villa

Liverpool rarely make noise in January, and this winter has followed the familiar script. There has been little appetite for splashy recruitment, with Jeremy Jacquet pencilled in for a summer arrival rather than anything immediate. Yet behind the scenes, Arne Slot and his recruitment staff have been working overtime, trying to bring clarity to a handful of complicated situations before the window shuts.

One of those involves Harvey Elliott, whose loan spell at Aston Villa has drifted into uncomfortable territory. What was meant to be a sensible, mutually beneficial agreement has instead left a £35m midfielder in limbo, unable to play enough football to prove his worth and, crucially, to decide where his long term future lies.

Harvey Elliott loan saga deepens

When Elliott left Liverpool for Villa Park in the summer, it was sold as a clever piece of business. The Reds would get a proper look at his ceiling in a demanding Premier League environment, Villa would benefit from a technically gifted midfielder, and Elliott would finally enjoy the regular minutes he had craved at Anfield.

Instead, the move has unravelled. Unai Emery has regularly left Elliott out of matchday squads, not for tactical reasons, but because of a clause buried deep in the deal. The original agreement stated that if Elliott featured ten times, the move would become permanent.

Now, according to the Daily Mail, the two clubs have opened “fresh talks” in an effort to fix what is clearly broken. Villa want the clause reworked, either by increasing the number of games required or by turning it into an option rather than an obligation. In other words, they want the freedom to use Elliott without fear of being locked into a £35m purchase.

Aston Villa and Liverpool in negotiations

For Liverpool, the problem is straightforward. A player who cannot play has no value, sporting or financial. Elliott sitting in the stands helps nobody, least of all a club that wants him either to flourish and raise his price or to return sharper and more marketable.

From Villa’s perspective, the hesitation is equally obvious. £35m is a significant outlay for a player who has yet to establish himself in Emery’s system. They would like the luxury of time, and perhaps a few more performances, before committing.

That is why these fresh talks matter. Adjusting the clause gives Villa the green light to use Elliott properly, while allowing Liverpool to see whether the midfielder can rediscover the spark that once made him such an intriguing prospect.

Arne Slot vision for Liverpool future

Even if Elliott does return to Merseyside in the summer, his path under Arne Slot looks narrow. Liverpool’s current midfield structure prioritises intensity, tactical discipline and positional versatility, areas where Elliott has struggled to convince. As the original piece bluntly stated, “Harvey Elliott does not have a Liverpool future under Arne Slot.”

That may sound harsh, but it reflects the reality of a squad that won the Premier League in 2024/25 and has little room for sentimental selections. Elliott’s best chance of reviving his career is to play, somewhere, anywhere, and that begins with freeing him from a contract clause that has effectively frozen him out.

For now, Liverpool and Aston Villa need to find a compromise. If they do, Elliott might finally get the minutes he needs to determine whether he can still justify that £35m valuation, or whether his next chapter lies away from both Anfield and Villa Park.