Liverpool Transfer News: No Tiago Ilori Recall, Latest Rumours

The future of Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori remains murky, as he can't be recalled from his loan spell with Aston Villa despite the Reds' defensive injury woes.

Ilori has yet to make a first-team appearance for Villa, fuelling rumours he could return to Liverpool, despite the Villans holding an option to turn his loan move into a permanent transfer. According to the Birmingham Mail's Gregg Evans, new Villa boss Remi Garde does not plan on letting him return to Anfield to help cover for the injured Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez:

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Ilori, a Portugal U21 international, knows that he is effectively on trial for the season and with a permanent deal already in place should Villa decide to take up that option, he is thought to be at ease over the current situation.

Talk of him returning to Anfield to cover for the injured Mamadou Sakho has circulated around Anfield in recent days but the only way will leave Villa is if they decide he is no longer needed.

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James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo confirmed the Reds cannot recall Ilori before the end of his loan spell.

Sakho became the latest Liverpool defender to suffer a serious injury, leaving the pitch during the Reds' 2-1 loss at the hands of Crystal Palace. According to Sky Sports, he's set to miss at least eight weeks.

With Gomez out for the rest of the season, per the Press Association (for ESPN FC), Liverpool are suddenly short on able centre-backs. Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure are the only central defenders remaining in the squad, and a single injury could spell disaster for the Reds.

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Academy member Daniel Cleary and versatile midfielder Emre Can are the likely backups to those three in case of emergency, but the former has no experience playing on the highest level and the latter is a far better player when he gets to ply his trade in midfield.

Andre Wisdom and Ilori both would have been viable options to use as stopgaps until a better solution was found, simultaneously giving both the opportunity to prove to new manager Jurgen Klopp they have a part to play in Liverpool's future.

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Ilori has been with the Reds since 2013 but has spent most of his time with the club on loan. He flashed tantalising potential during the 2015 Under-21 European Championship, leading to Villa's decision to agree to a loan deal with a permanent option.

According Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, the Villans are paying Liverpool a £1 million loan fee, and the eventual fee it will take to make the deal permanent will depend on the amount of matches the 22-year-old plays―between £6 million and £9 million.

That's a lot of money to spend on a youngster who hasn't seen a minute of action so far, and if things don't change, he's likely to return to Anfield. In the meantime, his lack of minutes means he isn't developing the way the Reds would have hoped, which will surely infuriate fans.

Ilori's future is likely to be decided in the coming months and will depend on whether or not he can convince new Villa manager Garde to give him an honest chance. If the Frenchman doesn't, he'll return to Anfield and have the chance to convince Klopp of keeping him around during pre-season.

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