Harwood-Bellis close to joining Aston Villa for £29m

Aston Villa are closing in on a £29m deal for Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

A deal for the one-cap England international remains subject to the finalisation of minor details, but all parties expect him to move to Villa Park before Tuesday's transfer deadline.

Villa had previously had an £18m bid rejected but have now moved to meet the south coast club's asking price, through an initial £25m fee plus £4m in add-ons.

The 24-year-old centre-back has not played for Saints since their 2-1 defeat to Watford on 16 August, sitting out three matches as noise around his potential transfer continues.

Harwood-Bellis has been at Southampton since 2023, initially joining on loan from Manchester City and helped them win promotion from the Championship in the 2023-24 season.