Liverpool have reportedly set their asking price for out-of-favour attacker Harvey Elliott, who has attracted the attention of Newcastle United.
The 22-year-old is yet to start a Premier League game in the 2024-25 season and was tipped to leave in the January transfer window amid apparent interest from Borussia Dortmund and Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, the window slammed shut with Elliott still on the books at Anfield, where the Englishman supposedly wants to fight for his place, but he has only been a fringe player for Arne Slot this season.
Furthermore, Elliott will enter the final two years of his contract this summer, and it has been claimed that Newcastle have expressed an interest in bringing him to St James' Park ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Magpies will not land Elliott on the cheap, though, as Football Insider claims that Liverpool are looking for at least £40m and possibly as much as £50m to sanction his exit in the summer window.
Newcastle 'unwilling' to pay Elliott asking price amid defender deja vu
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As Newcastle are treading a fine line in relation to Financial Fair Play and Profit and Sustainability regulations, the report adds that forking out £40m for Elliott is something that they are unlikely to do.
The Magpies have reportedly adopted the same stance with £30m-rated defender Jarell Quansah, Elliott's Liverpool teammate whom they are also understood to have considered an approach for.
However, the 2003-born midfielder could still secure a summer transfer regardless of Newcastle's stance, as it is further claimed that a handful of Bundesliga sides are also running the rule over his displays.
It is unclear if Dortmund are one of them, but the 2023-24 Champions League finalists have seen all of Julian Brandt, Jamie Gittens and Karim Adeyemi tipped to move elsewhere ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Elliott - who joined Liverpool for just £1.5m from Fulham in 2019 - has contributed 14 goals and 16 assists in 140 games for the Reds, scoring four times and setting up two more in 21 games this term.
Could Elliott still have a future at Liverpool?
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Elliott might not have made a Premier League start yet this season, but that is not through much fault of his own; Mohamed Salah is simply on course for the greatest individual campaign in the history of the tournament.
However, the 22-year-old scored in three straight Champions League appearances earlier this season, including the one moment of real quality against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 battle.
Elliott's versatility and low centre of gravity makes him an incredibly useful option for Slot, who is still said to view him as an important part of his long-term project, especially with Salah and Federico Chiesa's futures still uncertain.
While Salah is ultimately expected to sign a new deal, Elliott is doing everything right in his efforts for more regular minutes, and it would be a shock to see a summer exit materialise.
Ben Knapton
