Liverpool ’emergency talks’ to change transfer terms FAIL as Slot makes huge Van Dijk claim | OneFootball

Liverpool have held talks over the future of Harvey Elliott, reliable sources confirm, while Arne Slot has dropped a telling update on the future of Virgil van Dijk and another Anfield star.

The Reds had a largely quiet January window, which was always the plan after spending close to £450million on new additions last summer.

But they did complete one big piece of business – beating Chelsea to a deal worth £60million for Rennes’ 20-year-old centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, who will move to Merseyside at the season’s end.

The big news surrounding Liverpool transfers today has not been about targets, but instead about the futures of three of their players, and Slot has made his feelings clear on two of them.

Liverpool hold showdown talks with Aston Villa – but it’s bad news

Liverpool have held ’emergency talks’ with Aston Villa to modify the terms of Harvey Elliott’s loan agreement, and the BBC have revealed the outcome of those discussions.

The 22-year-old joined Villa on a season-long loan last summer that contains a conditional obligation to buy worth £35m. For the buy clause to be triggered, he must make 10 appearances for the Midlands side.

Elliot appeared five times for Villa earlier in the campaign, but then found himself dropped from the squad after Unai Emery decided he doesn’t want to pay the money for the Liverpool loanee.

Elliott did feature off the bench for Villa against Brentford last Sunday – his first appearance since October – but it appears he will never get past that 10-game threshold.

According to the latest from The BBC, Liverpool and Villa have held talks about changing Elliott’s deal. Unfortunately for all parties, the two clubs have failed to find common ground.

They stated: ‘In the light of his limited game time and Emery’s often brutal honesty about his lack of interest in signing him, Liverpool and Villa discussed altering the agreement in recent days.

‘However they failed to find a solution. And Emery has suggested he is not for turning.’

Liverpool planning for life ‘with or without’ Van Dijk

Meanwhile, Slot has revealed the club’s plans in the centre of their defence amid lingering doubts over the futures of Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Van Dijk, 34, has been linked with potential moves away recently while Konate, 26, is out of contract at the season’s end and efforts to extend his deal have failed, so far.

With Jacquet set to arrive, Slot was questioned on the future of Van Dijk. He insists Liverpool are already planning for life “with or without” him.

“Nothing that’s done over here is ever from panic,” Slot told a press conference on Thursday morning.

“It’s always a long-term idea or something that has been thought about for a long time. By not only one person, but by multiple people.

“Of course, we are aware of the fact that Virgil will not play for this club for 10 more years, but he has a one-and-a-half-year contract left, so he will be with us for that period of time and maybe even longer if he keeps staying as fit as he is now.”

Slot sends defiant message to FSG

In other news, Slot has sent a clear message to Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG): Curtis Jones cannot be allowed to leave.

With his current deal due to expire in around 16 months, Inter Milan opened talks over a surprise move to bring the England international to the San Siro, towards the end of the January window.

Ultimately, Inter weren’t able to prise Jones away from Anfield, with our transfer correspondent, Graeme Bailey, making it plainly clear why the Reds were not in a position to sanction the switch.

Inter are thought to remain interested – primed to make another attempt to sign him in the summer – if he doesn’t pen a contract extension before then.

But Slot is far from pleased at the prospect of Jones leaving, and made that clear to FSG and the media earlier today.

“He has played a lot of minutes and has been unlucky in the sense that midfield is the only line where we haven’t had injuries,” Slot stated.

“We kept him because we have players but we need players in these positions. At the moment, we need to start midfielders in different positions, so that line gets smaller and smaller.

“We kept him; his situation hasn’t changed for us. He is one of 16 outfield players we have available, with two young players in Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha, so it would be strange if we let anyone go.”