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Harvey Elliott could return to Anfield next summer after it was reported his move to Aston Villa will only become permanent if he makes a number of appearances for Unai Emery's side come the end of the season.
Liverpool welcomes Villa to Anfield on Saturday, having won just once in its last seven games. Elliott, who joined Villa on-loan during the transfer window, will not feature against the Reds due to being unable to face off against his parent club.
However, despite having joined Villa in a deal that looked to seal his Liverpool exit via an obligation to buy following his loan, Elliott's time at Anfield may not be over. The 22-year-old has fallen out of favor with Emery.
Elliott was named on the bench for Villa's Premier League wins against Burnley and Tottenham but was an unused substitute.
Then, last weekend in their win over Manchester City, Elliott was omitted entirely from their matchday squad altogether in a move that raised eyebrows, given that it was thought his move to Villa was a forgone conclusion.
The Daily Mail report Villa's obligation to buy Elliott for around $46 million will only be met after he plays a certain number of games for the club. So far this season, the midfielder has only featured in seven games for Villa, and has yet to play a full 90 minutes for the club.
Should the threshold for the number of games he needs to play for Villa not be met, Elliott will return to Anfield next summer.
Elliott is said to be understanding of Emery's decision to not play him, but is also said to be equally frustrated at the decision, especially during a World Cup year where he was hoping to impress Thomas Tuchel.
However, even if he does return to Liverpool, it seems inevitable Elliott would move on next summer, given his decision to leave during the last transfer window came down to wanting regular minutes having been unable to break into Arne Slot's first XI.
Recently, Emery explained why Elliott has barely featured this term for Villa.
"I am being very, very demanding of myself to choose in each match the players to start and the players in the bench, and firstly it is always trying to get the best performance collectively, through individual players," said the Villa boss after their defeat to Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.
"Harvey is a 10 number in our structure, in our shape, and he plays some matches and there is still adaptation to add himself individually in our structure, the task we have."
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