Exclusive: Aston Villa’s updated stance on Harvey Elliott transfer revealed after Liverpool talks
Aston Villa still have no intention of signing Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott permanently even at a cut-price fee, sources have told Football Insider.
Unai Emery and Co. have held talks with Liverpool over a potential re-negotiation of the clause that will see them pay £35million for the 22-year-old once he makes 10 appearances.
Former Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness recently told Football Insider that Liverpool would be willing to sell Elliott for £20m in the summer, but sources now say that the Villans would still be reluctant to do a deal at a reduced price.
The second city outfit do not want to sign Elliott permanently under any circumstances, and will only hand him further opportunities during his loan spell if a compromise can be reached over the current agreement.
Harvey Elliott trapped at Aston Villa until the end of the season
Emery has handed Elliott further opportunities to impress in recent weeks, as he started in the Europa League victory over Salzburg on 29 January, before coming off the bench against Brentford the following weekend.
The Spanish boss has been dealing with an injury crisis at Villa Park of late, and that has required him to call in the services of some of the players who had previously been on the fringes of his squad.
That included Elliott, but with the former England youth international having now made seven appearances in all competitions, Emery is beginning to toe the line as to how much more he can use him.
Aston Villa continue to face tight restrictions in terms of their PSR standing, and had to sanction several departures in order to get Tammy Abraham through the door in January.
They are now treading very carefully with Elliott just three appearances away from triggering the clause to buy him, a deal which the Midlands outfit simply cannot afford.
As a result, the midfielder looks set to continue to be trapped on the periphery of Emery’s group for a few more months, unless that all-important compromise can be reached with his parent club.
Rangers plan Bailey Rice talks amid Aston Villa interest
Football Insider recently revealed that Rangers are planning to offer Bailey Rice a new deal amid interest from Aston Villa and elsewhere of late.
The midfielder has been out injured since the end of the summer, but the Gers have little room to manoeuvre ahead of his contract expiring at the end of the season.
That has seen the likes of Villa and West Brom begin to circle around the talented 19-year-old, but Rangers are not prepared to lose their starlet without a fight.
The Glasgow giants are hoping to sit down and speak to Rice about the possibility of a new contract once he has recovered from his injury lay-off.
However, they are also aware that it could leave the door open for other clubs to table offers to him.