Already thinking about further reinforcements when the summer transfer window swings open, Aston Villa are reportedly lining up a move to sign a Premier League defender who’s ready to leave his current club.
Aston Villa transfer news
The Villans are seemingly ready to jump straight back into the transfer market after an incredibly busy January window, in which they welcomed the likes of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford on loan. Following a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Crystal Palace last time out, it’s clear that those in the Midlands still have work to do despite those arrivals, igniting several transfer rumours.
Names such as Samu Aghehowa have already threatened to steal the headlines this week, as the Villans look to replace Jhon Duran following his winter departure to join Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
The Porto forward is certainly capable of completing that very task too, having enjoyed a clinical debut season in Portugal after leaving Atletico Madrid last summer. That said, it’s not just attacking targets who have emerged on Villa’s reported radar.
According to The Boot Room, Aston Villa are now lining up a summer swoop to sign Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton this summer. The Saints signed the central defender for a reported £20m last summer, but he is ready to leave just one year on amid their pending relegation.
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With Villa interested alongside the likes of Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion, it may well be quite the race for his signature.
Still just 23 years old, Harwood-Bellis is a player with plenty of potential even after a year to forget at St Mary’s. A Manchester City academy graduate, the young defender could yet follow in Morgan Rogers’ footsteps by completing a move to Villa Park.
“Aggressive” Harwood-Bellis needs Premier League redemption
Completing a permanent move from Manchester City last summer, Harwood-Bellis couldn’t have asked for a much tougher task than attempting to keep the current Southampton side afloat.
Whether under Russell Martin or now under Ivan Juric, the Saints simply have not been equipped to keep their Premier League dream alive. They were even outsiders to earn promotion last season, coming up through the play-offs, and that has been telling ever since at St Mary’s.
As Southampton suffer the drop, however, Harwood-Bellis will be desperate to earn the Premier League redemption that Aston Villa could offer him this summer in what would be a far easier ride at a club battling for a European place.
Full of praise for his defender’s aerial ability despite his difficult season and his own eventual sacking, Martin told reporters earlier in the campaign: “I think since he’s come in he’s been really aggressive.
“He wants to head the ball. Of course, it comes a bit down to physical prowess and athleticism. I think the biggest thing is having the mentality that you want to go and score.”
When the summer arrives, the Southampton defender looks destined to be among those ready to escape a sinking ship as Aston Villa potentially lie in wait.
