Southampton ‘reject’ latest Villa bid for Harwood-Bellis | OneFootball

Southampton are understood to have rejected Aston Villa’s latest offer for Taylor Harwood-Bellis, with talks said to be edging closer to an agreement.

Sky Sports Germany reports that Saints turned down a £20m bid plus £4m in add-ons and that the clubs are believed to be moving towards a deal.

Head coach Tonda Eckert left the 24-year-old out of Saturday’s 3-1 win at Stoke City. He felt the defender was not in the right headspace after Villa’s initial offer, thought to be about £18m, was rejected.

Benfica also had a similar proposal turned down and are thought to have moved on to other targets. Villa will compete in the Champions League this summer and are seeking a replacement for Ezri Konsa, who has joined Arsenal for around £51m.

Harwood-Bellis joined on loan from Manchester City in 2023, with promotion triggering a £20m permanent move the following year. He has made 134 appearances for Saints, scoring 12 goals. He also debuted for England, scoring against the Republic of Ireland.

Southampton value the centre-back, who is contracted until 2028, at about £25m to £30m. That is similar to the deal that took Shea Charles to Fulham for £26m plus £4m in add-ons earlier this month.

Source: Daily Echo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”