After Benfica, fresh bid for Marco Silva target also knocked back | OneFootball

Southampton have once again rejected an offer from Aston Villa for Taylor Harwood-Bellis, a former Benfica target. Despite the latest rejection, the two clubs remain in talks, according to The Athletic. The Birmingham club are looking to strengthen the heart of their defence following Ezri Konsa’s move to Arsenal in a deal worth €60 million, and have identified the England international as one of their priorities for the position.

The latest offer for Harwood-Bellis represents a significant improvement on Aston Villa’s opening bid, which was around €21 million plus add-ons and had also been rejected by Southampton earlier this week.

Villa’s interest comes at a time when Benfica have already dropped their interest in the English defender. The Eagles had been closely monitoring Harwood-Bellis’ situation, but ultimately chose Alessandro Circati to strengthen their defence.

In addition to Benfica’s former target, Aston Villa have identified two more options for the centre of defence. One of the names is Joel Ordoñez, the Club Brugge centre-back who has also reportedly been the subject of an approach from Unai Emery’s side. The Ecuador international featured at the 2026 World Cup.

With Aston Villa determined to find a new centre-back, Harwood-Bellis remains a strong possibility for the English club, while Benfica are watching the situation from a distance after choosing Circati to fill the vacancy in central defence.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.