Southampton To Sign £15 Million Defender On One Condition
Championship promotion-chasers Southampton are hopeful of signing on-loan Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Belis on a permanent deal in the summer, according to the latest reports.
Harwood-Belis has been on loan at the Saints since the summer, but the club are hoping to sign him permanently at the end of the campaign for around £15m, as per journalist Alan Nixon on his exclusive Patreon. However, a deal will only come to fruition if the club earn promotion back to the top-flight.
The 22-year-old has been a rock at the back under Russell Martin, playing 26 times and winning over half of his overall duels. Furthermore, he boasts a 93% success rate for passing, while also scoring two goals and recording one assist.
The Stockport-born youngster has had several fruitful loan spells, including at Stoke City and Burnley. For the latter, he was part of the squad that was promoted to the Premier League last season, playing 32 times for Vincent Kompany’s side.
Harwood-Bellis has come through the Manchester City academy but is yet to make a senior league appearance for the English champions. However, he has featured in the EFL Cup, FA Cup and in Europe for his parent club before going out on loan.
The centre-back has also played international football for England from U16s right through to the U21s where he was part of the squad that beat Spain 1-0 in the final to lift the European Championship in 2023.
Writer’s View
This would be a great move for all three parties. Man City get a fee, the Saints receive a bargain buy and the player gets to play regularly. A permanent move to Southampton will help him keep the momentum going and, as proven this season, he’d be one of the first names on the teamsheet.
With City having the likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol and Kyle Walker amongst the names able to play at centre-back, Harwood-Bellis could struggle to start for the Premier League champions in the future, hence why a permanent switch would be a good career move for the defender.
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