‘Exceptional’ player set to leave Liverpool imminently as personal terms agreed with overseas club
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As Liverpool close in on the signing of Bradley Barcola, another attacker could be set to leave Anfield in the coming days, judging by reports which have emerged in the past 24 hours.For the second summer in a row, Harvey Elliott seems likely to depart Merseyside in the final days of the transfer window, having gone on loan to Aston Villa with a view to a permanent transfer 12 months ago.However, having made just nine appearances in the Midlands, the 23-year-old returned to his parent club, for whom he played in pre-season but was voluntarily omitted by Andoni Iraola for the matchday squad in the Premier League opener away to Newcastle last weekend.That absence prompted increased speculation over a move away from Liverpool for Elliott, and it now looks as though he could be on his way to LaLiga.On Friday evening, Fabrizio Romano reported (via X) that the Reds’ number 19 ‘has agreed personal terms’ over a prospective loan switch to Valencia following ‘positive talks’, with the Spanish side now in negotiations with LFC to try and finalise a deal.(Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustElliott unlikely to get much game-time at Liverpool, sadlyWhen Elliott didn’t even make the 20-player matchday squad for the Newcastle game last weekend, it seemed inevitable that he’d depart Anfield again before the transfer window shuts on Tuesday, with the 23-year-old evidently not featuring in Iraola’s plans.Having played so little football over the past 12 months despite previously being hailed as ‘exceptional‘ by Rio Ferdinand, he simply couldn’t afford to bide his time at Liverpool and feed off scraps, so we can understand his eagerness to try his luck with Valencia and see if he can enjoy a renaissance in LaLiga.Competition for his favoured attacking midfield/right winger berths at the Mestalla isn’t particularly strong in terms of numbers, so theroetically he should have a good chance of playing regularly for Carlos Corberan’s side.It’s imperative that he gets ample game-time in the 2026/27 campaign after (through no great fault of his own) a wasted 2025/26 season, and if joining Valencia is the best way for him to enjoy that, it’d be wrong to deprive him of that opportunity.Selfishly we’d have liked to keep Elliott as part of the Liverpool squad in case our attacking options are depleted further, but if his prospects of playing under Iraola are meagre, then it’s for the best that he goes on loan to a club where he’d have a much better chance of making up for lost time.