Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott reportedly agrees terms with RB Lepizig

Liverpool playmaker Harvey Elliott has reportedly agreed personal terms with RB Leipzig.

The Bundesliga side have yet to submit a formal bid for the 22-year-old, whom Liverpool are understood to value at around £50m.

Any move for Elliott would be contingent on the anticipated sale of Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons to Chelsea. Simons, who completed a £43m move from Paris Saint-Germain to the Red Bull Arena in January following an 18-month loan spell, has two years remaining on the deal but has indicated a desire to leave Germany.

Elliott likewise has a contract that runs until summer 2027. He has been frank about his desire to remain with the club, but a lack of playing time has forced the midfielder to re-evaluate his future. 

What has Harvey Elliott said about the prospect of leaving Liverpool?

“If I had it my way, I would be [with Liverpool] for the rest of my career, it’s as simple as that,” he said during the club’s summer tour in Hong Kong. “I love everything about the club, but at the same time I kind of need to be selfish and see what’s best for me. 

“I have big ambitions. I want to get in the [England] World Cup squad. I want to keep being successful as a player. It’s something I still need to review. I need to have a talk with everyone and review the situation.”

Elliott played a prominent role in England’s European Under-21 Championship victory this summer but, for all his undoubted talent, has found minutes increasingly hard to come by under Liverpool manager Arne Slot.

Sixteen of his 18 Premier League appearances last term came as a substitute, a marked dropoff in his playing time under Jurgen Klopp the previous season, when he started 27 league games and featured in 34.

Why Elliott may not be the only impending departure from Anfield

Elliott’s prospects of reversing that trend have not been helped by the summer arrival of the gifted playmaker Florian Wirtz, a £116m signing from Bayer Leverkusen, and the buoyant form of Cody Gakpo on the left side of Liverpool’s attacking trident. 

While progress on a deal for Simons has been slow, Elliott remains Leipzig’s “top target” as his replacement according to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg.  

The Greek left-back Kostas Tsmikas, who has likewise slipped down the Anfield pecking order following the signing of Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth, could also leave the club. 

The 29-year-old is reportedly the subject of interest from Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille, with Leeds United and Nottingham Forest also potential suitors.