Mon 9 February 2026 21:00, UK
Liverpool will not be able to secure £35million for Harvey Elliott in the summer transfer window.
That is according to ex-Aston Villa, Everton, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes Liverpool should look to reach an agreement with Aston Villa for Elliott.
Aston Villa could agree a cut-price deal for Elliott around £20m, despite an obligation to buy the 22-year-old for £35m if he appears ten times for the club this season.
Elliott’s loan spell at Aston Villa was not terminated in January despite a lack of game time this season, with the Liverpool loanee having made just nine appearances for Unai Emery’s side so far.
‘This is the sort of negotiation that will happen for Harvey Elliott’
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – states that Aston Villa are “very tight on budget” going into negotiations.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness hopes the situation can be “resolved.“
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “They’re very tight on budget, so it’s going to have to be something like £15m or £20m they might be able to accept, and you know they’ll be allowed to play him more than the 10 games this season, so I think he’s at seven or eight, but anyway that’s the sort of negotiation I think that will happen, and I think it could work out for both teams.
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“I don’t think that he’d be at £35m anyway if he came back to Liverpool or was free in the summer. I don’t think Liverpool are going to get the £35m for him. So I think they’re better off seeing if they can get something done with Villa right now.
“So that’s the dynamics at play, and I’d hope it can get resolved. I think for both groups and for the player himself, I think that makes sense. But he’s got Douglas Luiz now back at Villa as well, who’s a very good player from the inside out. So there’s competition in that midfield for Unai Emery.
“They’re still in Europe. So look, I hope it gets resolved, but that’s the way I would see it happening if it’s going to get resolved.”
Credit: ImagoAston Villa slip up in Champions League pursuit
Aston Villa fans were left angry at Lucas Digne during their 1-1 draw against Bournemouth last time out in the Premier League.
Elliott was not in the matchday squad as Emery’s side dropped points for the second successive league fixture.
The Villains remain in a strong position for Champions League football next season, but Manchester United and Chelsea have closed the gap in the race for the top four.