Southampton hoping to win transfer battle for Man City man | OneFootball

footballleagueworld video of the day

Southampton are pushing ahead as they look to sign Taylor Harwood-Bellis on loan from Manchester City, with the Premier League champions set to loan the defender out.

Who is Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

The centre-back will be known to Saints fans, as the centre-back has come through the ranks at City, where he is very highly-rated.

Even though Harwood-Bellis hasn’t managed to break into the first-team squad under Pep Guardiola, he has enhanced his reputation after various loan spells, most recently with Burnley.

The 21-year-old played 32 times as Vincent Kompany’s side won the Championship title last season, and he followed that up by captaining England’s U21 side to European Championship success in the summer.

Southampton move to sign Harwood-Bellis

Given his potential, Harwood-Bellis has been linked with a host of clubs during the window, including many Premier League sides.

However, with no firm offers on the table for the academy graduate, it has been reported that City are willing to let Harwood-Bellis go out on loan, which would bring top Championship sides into the mix for his signature.

It has been claimed that Leeds, Leicester and Southampton were all monitoring Harwood-Bellis, and the Daily Echo confirmed that Russell Martin is now pushing to get the deal done, with Saints seemingly the frontrunners.

“A move for Harwood-Bellis progressed on Wednesday evening and there is hope a deal could be concluded late on Thursday.”

Would this be a good signing for Southampton?

This would be an outstanding bit of business if Saints can finalise the transfer before the deadline.

You could make a case that Harwood-Bellis would be the perfect realistic centre-back signing for Martin, as he is extremely comfortable in possession, so he will be able to start attacks as the boss demands.

Plus, he is capable of playing in a high line, having come through at Man City, and then played for a Burnley outfit that were aggressive in their press last season. The fact Harwood-Bellis has also proven himself as a winner at this level is another bonus too.

It’s also no secret that Southampton needed a centre-back, even with the welcome addition of Mason Holgate on loan from Everton.

What next for Southampton?

It could be a hectic two days ahead for Southampton, as they are working on several deals as Martin looks to strengthen what is an impressive squad.

The early results have shown the players are on board with his message, and they don’t need wholesale changes, but there are a few obvious weak spots, with central defence one of those.

Of course, more players could also leave, so Martin will be ensuring the club are in a position to act if any big offers do arrive unexpectedly, which can’t be ruled out.

You can be sure that Martin will be relieved when the deadline passes, so he can concentrate entirely on the football, with Saints’ next game a tough trip to Sunderland on Saturday.