Aston Villa have had an £18million offer plus add-ons rejected for Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis as Unai Emery steps up his search for an Ezri Konsa replacement.
Villa are preparing to lose Konsa to Arsenal after agreeing a deal worth around £50million for the England international, forcing the club back into the defensive market before the transfer window closes.
talkSPORT reports that Villa offered £18million plus another £2million in add-ons for Harwood-Bellis, but Southampton rejected the proposal and are understood to value their captain at around £30million.
Aston Villa make Taylor Harwood-Bellis move
The bid represents the clearest indication yet of Villa’s intentions since Konsa’s Arsenal move accelerated.
Harwood-Bellis can now be added to that group, but Villa have gone further with the Southampton defender by making a concrete offer.
The 24-year-old joined Southampton permanently from Manchester City in 2024 after initially spending a season on loan at St Mary’s.
He has since become an important figure for the club and has captained the side on numerous occasions.
Harwood-Bellis also has senior England experience, scoring on his debut against the Republic of Ireland in November 2024.
Southampton’s position appears clear.
They also rejected a £17million approach from Benfica earlier this month, with talkSPORT previously reporting that a fee around £30million could be required.
That leaves Villa with a sizeable gap to bridge.
Konsa’s impending £50million move to Arsenal gives Emery greater room to reshape his centre-back options, but Villa must now decide whether Harwood-Bellis is worth approaching Southampton again.
With Tomori and Tosin also being considered, the rejected bid suggests Villa’s replacement search is beginning to move from shortlists towards concrete action.
