‘It could come back to bite you’ – Liverpool ‘pushing’ to finalise Harvey Elliott transfer
Harvey Elliott could “come back to bite” Liverpool in the future if they sell him to RB Leipzig without a buy-back clause this summer.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said that Liverpool will look to sell Elliott to a club outside the Premier League this summer.
Elliott‘s lack of minutes last season and performances for England’s Under-21s this summer have made him hot property, with a plethora of Premier League clubs registering their interest in the 22-year-old.
Football Insider revealed on 9 August that Liverpool will accept bids in the region of £40–50million for Elliott amid interest from Tottenham, but Robinson expects the Reds playmaker to move aboard instead.
Robinson has told Football Insider that with RB Leipzig leading Tottenham in the race to sign Elliott, Liverpool will insist that any deal to take the midfielder away from Anfield includes a buy-back clause.
Liverpool‘s preference will also be to send Elliott beyond the boundaries of the Premier League while maintaining the ability to re-sign him, and Robinson argued that Leipzig provide the best outlet to do so.
Elliott exit looming ‘as Liverpool make transfer demands clear’
This article contains exclusive comment from Paul Robinson, a football pundit and former England, Tottenham and Leeds goalkeeper.
Football Insider revealed on 9 August that Tottenham’s interest in Elliott has increased in the wake of James Maddison’s ACL injury, but they may have still left it too late in their efforts to beat RB Leipzig.
Speaking on the latest Inside Track, Robinson said that a move to Leipzig may suit all parties, but added that Liverpool would be wise to include a buy-back clause or first refusal in any deal to sell Elliott.
“I think Liverpool will be reluctant to sell [Elliott back] into the Premier League”, Robinson told Football Insider.
“I think the ideal situation for Liverpool will be [a move to] RB Leipzig – which is looking likely – with first refusal or a buy-back clause, because at 22 years old, he’s one that could come back to bite you.
“Liverpool will push for the Leipzig move, they’re not going stand in his way to allow him to go and play football.
“I’d be surprised if they wanted to sell him within the Premier League, but stranger things have happened. I think Leipzig are at the front of queue, with a decent buy-back clause for Liverpool.”
Elliott exit opens door for Liverpool to finalise their rebuild
The writing has been on the wall for Elliott at Anfield for some time, and his position in the pecking order took another hit when Liverpool sealed their club-record signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
Arne Slot remains on the offensive though and Liverpool have made no secret of their desire to sign Alexander Isak, with Elliott one of three players set to be sold off to fund the Newcastle frontman’s fee.
Luis Diaz is already out the door and Darwin Nunez is on the verge of finalising his own move to Al-Hilal, leaving Elliott’s exit as the final piece of the jigsaw for Liverpool to smash their transfer record for the second time in seven weeks.