Arne Slot to ignore Klopp's biggest LIV regret as Reds star set for £35m exit

Harvey Elliott has struggled for regular minutes under Arne Slot at Liverpool and Aston Villa have agreed a deal worth £35m, with the midfielder set to join initially on a season-long loan

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has sanctioned the exit of Harvey Elliott after Aston Villa agreed a £35million move - a year after ex-Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said he regretted not playing the midfielder more.

Elliott has been linked with an exit from the club for most of the summer after struggling to get first team minutes under Slot last season. He picked up just two starts in the Premier League last season and instead had to settle for minutes in cup competitions.

Villa have agreed a season-long loan deal for Elliott with an obligation to buy next year for around £35m. The 22-year-old will now travel to the Midlands for his medical as he prepares to effectively end his six-year stay at Liverpool, having signed from Fulham in 2019.

He leaves with a Premier League winners' medal and six cup wins in total and will be hopeful of making more of an impact under Unai Emery at Villa.

Slot didn't seem to be a fan of his last season and was content at letting him go to balance the books following the £125m arrival of Alexander Isak.

The Dutchman has gone against the advice of his predecessor Klopp, who signed the player for Liverpool. The German boss said he wishes he played the England youth star more in his final season.

Speaking last year, Klopp said: "If I regret one thing a little bit it’s that Harvey didn’t play often enough maybe.

"Because in a very important, intense period – January, a lot of injuries – he played really good. He was probably our best player, right wing, right midfield, all these kinds of things."

Elliott already made it clear he was intent on leaving Liverpool this summer after admitting he didn't want to "waste years of my career" on the sidelines.

"I don't really want to be wasting years of my career because it's a short career. You don't know what's going to happen. I need to reflect. I need to see if I'm content in doing what I'm doing and how can I improve as a player because that's the most important thing.

"I just want to improve and be the best possible version of myself. If that's to go somewhere else, then it's a decision that I'm going to have to make and I just need to see what happens. Nothing makes me want to leave. I love the club, I love the fans, the team. I support them as well. But most importantly, it's just about what's best for my career.

"After my injury, I think it was always going to be hard, but I'd hoped I would have got some more opportunities - but football is football."