Harvey Elliott of Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)

It can be revealed that the appearance-based trigger that would see Aston Villa buy Harvey Elliott permanently from Liverpool applies only to Premier League matches.

Elliott can, therefore, feature for Villa in the Europa League knockout stages without impacting the club’s obligation-to-buy clause.

Unai Emery hinted at this aspect of the agreement during his Friday press conference, but it is understood that this condition was part of the deal from the start, rather than a result of renegotiations between the two clubs.

Elliott has featured in only seven of Villa’s matches across all competitions this season, but he did start against RB Salzburg in the club’s final Europa League league phase match.

Villa would be obliged to buy Elliott for £35 million if he plays a certain amount of matches, but this only applies to Premier League appearances.

However, the 22-year-old is now dealing with an injury issue, which could see him sidelined for around two weeks.

“He is injured now. He is not available because of injury,” Emery explained when asked about Elliott’s situation.

“I was so clear one month...