Ex-Liverpool chief spots $133M reason why Harvey Elliott agreement was refused with Aston Villa

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Liverpool IconLiverpool FC NewsTransfer NewsHarvey ElliottHarvey Elliott has not had a look-in at Aston Villa since leaving Liverpool in the summer, with Unai Emery having made his position absolutely clear on the $47M (£35M) midfielderHarvey Elliott during the Europa League game between Aston Villa and Red Bull Salzburg in January 2026.(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)Former Liverpool managing director and Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow has offered his verdict on why no agreement was reached regarding Harvey Elliott in January.It emerged recently that Elliott's loan move to Villa Park will become permanent if he plays 10 league games for the Midlands outfit. It is thought, though, that the arrangement only applies in the Premier League, meaning he can play as often as Emery wants in Europe.READ MORE: Liverpool facing Champions League rematch after VAR controversyREAD MORE: Liverpool's next 5 games compared to Man Utd, Chelsea and Aston VillaAston Villa boss Emery said that talks had been held regarding a renegotiation of the deal which could remove the clause that made it mandatory for Elliott to sign permanently.However, that didn't happen, and Purslow has offered a possible explanation for why that might have been, with Liverpool currently battling Aston Villa for a place in the top five places, which should be enough for Champions League qualification."There was an obvious opportunity to recut the deal, but the non-negotiable for Villa would have been ‘We cannot buy the player in the summer’," Purslow said on talkSPORT.Harvey Elliott has played four Premier League games for Aston Villa this season.(Image: Alex Livesey - Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)"Liverpool weren’t playing ball.

And they weren’t playing ball because of what has been hanging over the last few weeks, which is the top five outcome."The stakes on Champions League qualification are so high; probably £90 million to £100 million (c. $120 million to $133 million) of revenue next year in or out."Frankly, the £5 million to £10 million (c. $6.7 million to $13.4 million) you might lose if Harvey Elliott doesn’t kick a ball and bounces back in the summer is peanuts if Liverpool are fifth or Villa fifth. I’ve noticed they’ve briefed out that the 10 games [needed to trigger Elliott’s buy clause] is Premier League games, so I think there’s a decent chance we see Harvey Elliott playing in the Europa League."Get LFC's 2025/26 season home and away kitsThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.

Learn moreFrom $100LFC.comSee the dealLiverpool's home and away strips for the 2025/26 season are the first in their new partnership with adidas.Fans can order jerseys in the US at Fanatics.com or via the LFC Online Store in both the US and across the world.Effectively, Purslow is suggesting that if Liverpool had renegotiated the terms of the deal so that Elliott could play any number of games for Aston Villa without them needing to pay the money to sign him in the summer, he might then have stopped the Reds making the Champions League.Elliott is clearly a very good player and could have scored the goals that fired Aston Villa into the top four or five spots, potentially at Liverpool's expense.In that case, he would then return to Anfield in the summer having done damage to his parent club. The expectation last summer was that Elliott joining Aston Villa permanently was effectively a foregone conclusion, but things have not gone to plan.Liverpool FCAston Villa FCHarvey Elliott