Aston Villa to strike gold on Harwood-Bellis as agreement with Southampton nears over improved fee

Aston Villa are closing in on a deal to sign England defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton with an agreement nearing over a big-money deal after Unai Emery’s side had seen an opening bid fall short on Thursday, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Villa saw an opening proposal worth up to £18million rejected by Southampton, but talks have continued, and sources understand the two clubs are now close to an agreement.

Personal terms have also been discussed with Harwood-Bellis, with the defender receptive to the move and a deal now moving towards a conclusion. The new deal could reach as high as £25m (with add-ons factored in).

Villa have been searching for a new central defender after losing Ezri Konsa to Arsenal – that move has now been agreed for £55m – and Harwood-Bellis has emerged as their preferred solution.

The Southampton defender has attracted interest from elsewhere this summer, with Benfica having made an approach earlier this month, but that bid failed to land the one-cap England international.

Villa are now in pole position and are working to finalise the move.

The arrival of Harwood-Bellis would form part of a wider defensive reshuffle at Villa Park. They have already agreed a deal with West Ham United for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who will arrive to strengthen their right-back options.

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The club had also assessed several alternatives at centre-back, including Chelsea duo Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo, but Harwood-Bellis is now the player they are closing in on.

TEAMtalk understands Villa have been encouraged by the progress of talks with Southampton and believe a deal can be completed despite the initial bid being rejected.

For now, negotiations are continuing over the final structure and fee, but the England international is increasingly likely to be heading to Villa Park, with personal terms already discussed.

Indeed, Harwood-Bellis will be walking into what appears a very much new-look Villa side this summer, with many of their Europa League-winning squad being sold off this summer.

Youri Tielemans went to Manchester United, Morgan Rogers signed for Chelsea, Lucas Digne headed to Paris Saint-Germain and with Konsa on the move to Arsenal, the Midlands side are also battling to keep Ollie Watkins amid a strong pursuit from Al-Hilal.

In addition, Villa are also open to offers for goalkeeper Emi Martinez after bringing in Zion Suzuki in a £29.6m deal from Parma.

Emery has worked wonders at Villa Park, and he will have to do the same again this season to keep the West Midlands outfit competitive.

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