Why FIFA rule could ruin Liverpool star's season

Liverpool's 2025/26 season has been beset by problems, from their stuttering form to the stand-off between star player Mohamed Salah and boss Arne Slot.

The Premier League champions sit 10th in the table, 10 points behind leaders Arsenal, having won just five of their past 16 games across all competitions.

The past few days have been dominated by talk of Salah's future, after last season's PFA Player of the Year claimed following last Saturday's 3-3 draw with Leeds United that he had been 'thrown under the bus' by the club, which saw him left out of the squad for Tuesday's Champions League win at Inter Milan.

Liverpool star left in limbo as FIFA rule puts future in doubt

But while Salah's next move is currently top of the news agenda, one of his Liverpool team-mates is also in a difficult situation.

Midfielder Harvey Elliott joined Aston Villa on a season-long loan from Anfield on transfer deadline day in September, having starred in England U21s' successful European Championship title defence in the summer.

The 22-year-old was named Player of the Tournament in Slovakia, having helped Liverpool win the Premier League only a month earlier, but he has not kicked on as he would have hoped at Villa Park.

Elliott has featured just five times for Unai Emery's side, with the last of those coming on October 2, and has been left out of the matchday squad numerous times in recent weeks, including for tonight's Europa League trip to Basel.

A clause in the loan deal states that Villa are obligated to sign Elliott on a £35million permanent transfer if he makes 10 appearances, although reports vary over whether that is across all competitions, or only counts games played in the Premier League.

But when asked about Elliott on Wednesday, Emery suggested the Villans aren't yet sold on the Englishman.

The Villa boss said: 'He is on loan playing with us, but he is not definitely adding to us with a permanent contract. Hopefully we can get the best for him and the best for us. I respect him as a player and as a person. He is training well, but we have one circumstance with him.'

Elliott's situation is further complicated by the fact he featured as a late substitute in Liverpool's 3-2 win at Newcastle United in August, so he cannot sign for another team this season as FIFA rules prevent players from appearing for more than two clubs in the same campaign.

It leaves him with two choices: stay at Villa, where he is unlikely to feature to avoid triggering the clause that forces the club to sign him permanently, if Emery's comments are anything to go by.

Elliott could also be recalled by Liverpool, but after making just two Premier League starts last season, there is no guarantee he would get minutes at Anfield - especially after Slot revealed he had not been in touch with the loanee.

It means that unless Villa and Liverpool agree to remove the obligation to buy clause, Elliott faces playing very little football in a campaign when he would have wanted to establish himself as a regular starter in the Premier League.