Man Utd eye Southampton transfer raid that would impact Aston Villa | OneFootball

Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis is under consideration among the Man United transfer team, according to reports

Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis is a man in-demand heading into the final few days of the summer transfer window, with Man United now weighing up whether to enter the running for the one-time England international.

Whilst many football fans would have perhaps expected more Saints stars to depart St Mary's Stadium after what happened during the Spygate saga at the end of last season, Tonda Eckert has been able to keep most of his key players - all whilst the German has a potential ban looming over his head.

Shea Charles has been the only significant exit following his move to Fulham, but speculation has been rife for weeks now regarding Harwood-Bellis' future - and it needs to be sorted before the September 1 transfer deadline.

Man United showing Taylor Harwood-Bellis interest as Aston Villa struggle to do deal

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Portuguese giants Benfica's €20 million offer was quickly snubbed and deemed not good enough, with Marco Silva not returning for the Man City academy graduate, whilst Aston Villa have also been struggling to strike a deal for the 24-year-old.

Villa are currently unwilling to match the price-tag that Southampton want for the defender, but in a late transfer twist, Man United could now enter the equation.

The Red Devils are on the hunt for a new centre-half to bolster their ranks ahead of a league, cup and European campaign, and it appears that Harwood-Bellis has been coming into their thinking, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Speaking on The United Stand, Jacobs said: "There will be other late window opportunities - for example, Manchester United were one of the clubs that cast their eye over the Taylor Harwood-Bellis deal over the last few days.

"Villa are the ones that are back in talks and have been working on that one for a bit longer, and Benfica have been there as well. Saints want £30 million or more, which is a relatively high price, but in this current market, it's still cheaper than most defenders that have gone Premier League to Premier League.

"No indication yet after internally discussing that, they're going to decide to enter that race, but it shows you that they're looking at several defenders rather than only being left-back centric or Hall-centric."

Taylor Harwood-Bellis has a big Man United historical connection

Whilst Harwood-Bellis is a Man City boy, having come through their youth system, there is a tenuous link to Man United through Roy Keane.

In 2024, Harwood-Bellis got engaged to the daughter of Red Devils legend Roy Keane - Leah - with the Irishman jokingly suggesting that their wedding could be in jeopardy after he scored on his Three Lions debut against his country nearly two years ago in a 5-0 Wembley drubbing.

Prior to that, Harwood-Bellis revealed that Keane often gives him footballing advice, and should United enter the running for his services, he may angle for the defender to move to Old Trafford, given his history with the club.

Southampton already look to be moving to find Harwood-Bellis' successor

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It does feel like a matter of when, not if Harwood-Bellis now moves on from Southampton, given the level and size of the clubs that are interested.

Southampton of course are asking for big money for one of their star players, which they are well within their rights to do, and it's hard to argue that he's not a Premier League quality player - a Champions League standard one however may be a stretch.

There's an expectation that Southampton are going to make a move for Viking defender Henrik Falchener in the coming days, a towering centre-back who was part of Norway's World Cup squad, but the fact that Wrexham have already had an £8 million offer turned down suggests that it may have to reach the eight-figure mark to get a deal done.