Harvey Elliott set for medical as Liverpool exit agreed

Elliott is in the final stages of completing what will eventually mark the end of his career at Liverpool. Sky Sports writes that the 22-year-old has been given permission to undergo a medical with Aston Villa and has travelled to Birmingham. It will start as a loan for the duration of this season but is expected to become permanent next summer because of an obligation to buy valued at £35 million ($47m).

Having played over 50 games in Jurgen Klopp's final season, Elliott found himself struggling for opportunities under successor Arne Slot. With Florian Wirtz adding to the competition for attacking midfield and wide places, that was only going to get worse unless the youngster moved on. But joining Aston Villa will keep him closer to home than a potential switch to RB Leipzig would have.

Liverpool stand to make a huge profit on Elliott, despite the £35m fee falling short of their original asking price, ranging from £40-50m ($54-68m). The Reds paid a maximum of £4.3m ($5.8m) in compensation when signing a 16-year-old Elliott from Fulham.

If all goes as expected, Aston Villa will finish transfer deadline day with Elliott and Jadon Sancho through the door, while Liverpool are racing the clock to complete anticipated deals for Alexander Isak and Marc Guehi. One player not expected to be on the move is goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was ultimately overlooked by Manchester United in favour of emerging Belgian talent Senne Lammens.