Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has confirmed the club were “not convinced” to make Harvey Elliott’s loan move from Liverpool permanent, despite the English midfielder/forward arriving in September on a season-long deal.

Elliott joined Villa with an obligation to buy for £35m if he featured in 10 Premier League matches. However, the 22-year-old has struggled for game time, starting just once in the league and appearing only five times under Emery, with his last outing coming as a late substitute against Feyenoord in the Europa League on 2 October.

“The problem we have with Harvey is that this year he is on loan, and in case he plays matches we must buy him,” Emery explained.
“We decided two months ago that we are not convinced to sign him, spending the money we would need to sign him. This is the only issue.”

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Elliott’s Situation and Interest from Abroad

BBC Sport understands that MLS side Charlotte FC, coached by former Villa manager Dean Smith, have shown interest in Elliott, though the forward is reportedly reluctant to move to America at this stage of his career.

Despite limited playing time, Emery praised Elliott’s attitude:

“He is training every day, always every day with very good behaviour and to help us in training sessions. This is not something good for him and good for us, but this is football and sometimes we must take some decisions which are not good for everyone.”

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Liverpool’s Position on Elliott

Having already represented Liverpool and Villa in the 2025-26 campaign, Elliott cannot play for another European club this season. While injury issues at Liverpool mean a potential return is not impossible, Liverpool see this as Villa’s problem to solve, given there is no recall clause in the current loan agreement.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has reiterated that Elliott is “an Aston Villa player”, with any discussion over a potential return requiring Villa to initiate talks and likely cover costs to terminate the loan early.

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Elliott’s Career Highlights

Elliott starred for England Under-21s in their European Championship-winning campaign last summer and made two Premier League starts for Liverpool as they claimed the 2024-25 title. For Villa, he scored his only goal in a Carabao Cup tie against Brentford in September.

Despite limited opportunities, Elliott has maintained a professional approach and continues to train diligently, but Emery has made it clear the club is not planning a long-term future for him in Birmingham. A resolution is expected before the end of the January transfer window.