Summary Southampton are in competition with Championship rivals Leicester City and Leeds United for the signing of Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis this summer. Harwood-Bellis is seen as a highly exciting young center-back with potential, having made eight appearances for Manchester City. Saints have cash to splash after the exits of James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia.
Southampton are battling a number of Championship rivals for the signing of highly-rated Premier League starlet Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and a new report has revealed whether Manchester City are willing to sell him permanently.
Will Southampton make more signings?
Saints have made a solid start to life back in the second tier of English football, as they look to make a speedy return to the Premier League after last season's disappointment.
A 2-1 victory away to Championship newcomers Sheffield Wednesday was followed up by a thrilling 4-4 draw at home to Norwich City last Saturday, suggesting an entertaining campaign lies ahead on the south coast.
While Southampton arguably have one of the strongest squads in the division, they have now lost key midfield pair James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia to West Ham and Chelsea respectively, and more signings could be needed between now and the end of the transfer window.
It isn't just in the middle of the park that Russell Martin will be looking for reinforcements, however, with the aforementioned goal-laden draw with Norwich highlighting the need for defensive additions, too.
What's happening with Taylor Harwood-Bellis?
Taking to Twitter this morning, reliable journalist John Percy claimed that Southampton are fighting Leicester City, Leeds United and others for the signing of Harwood-Bellis this summer:
"Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis is a loan target for Championship clubs including Leicester, Leeds and Southampton. City are also open to selling the England under-21 captain at the right price before the window closes."
Harwood-Bellis could be exactly what Southampton are looking for in the remaining weeks of the transfer window, given his reputation as a hugely exciting young centre-back with a high ceiling.
He has already made eight appearances for Manchester City, scoring once, which says a huge amount about his quality, given their status as the best club side in world football.
Last season Harwood-Bellis was loaned out to Burnley, and he played a key role in Vincent Kompany's side cruising to Championship title glory, starting 31 matches in the competition and averaging 3.1 clearances per game.
Kompany, a legendary centre-back in the Premier League, has waxed lyrical about the young Englishman in the past 12 months, saying:
"I've known Taylor [Harwood-Bellis] for a long time so what everyone can see on the ball or what everyone can see when he goes into his challenges, I think his biggest quality, that is perhaps more difficult to see on the eye, is his leadership and his incredible drive and high standards."
This further sums up how much potential he has as a footballer, and if Saints can beat others to his signature this summer, it could immediately enhance their hopes of gaining automatic promotion from the Championship next May.
City would also surely be happy to see him loaned out again at the very least, in order to aid his development, but a permanent move to St May's would be even more exciting, snapping him up on a long-term basis.
That being said, Leicester and Leeds are strong promotion contenders in their own right, so they are likely to provide stern competition over the signing of Harwood-Bellis, so Southampton have to do all they can to persuade him to overlook their interest and choose them instead.
