Everton are reportedly interested in signing Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, as per transfer expert Mike Brown.
After coming through Manchester City’s youth system, the 24-year-old made his first-team debut back in 2019. However, he struggled to break into Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up, so he went out on loan several times to play regularly and develop his career.
Eventually, the Englishman joined the Saints permanently a couple of years ago. Although Southampton struggled in the Premier League last term, he showed glimpses of his high potential.
This season, Southampton have continued to struggle in the Championship, languishing in mid-table. However, Harwood-Bellis has been displaying promising performances, making five goal contributions and keeping as many clean sheets in 24 league appearances.
Now, on Football Insider, Brown says that Everton are interested in him and have been monitoring his development closely before making a potential swoop.
However, the Toffees aren’t the only club in this race, as Burnley have also expressed their interest in him, having been impressed by his recent eye-catching performances.
Harwood-Bellis to Everton
Brown said:
“Harwood-Bellis is a player who is being mentioned again. He’s done well at Southampton, I have my doubts about how good he is at Premier League level because most of his success has been in the Championship.
“But there are Premier League clubs who have been looking at him because he’s a young centre-back which there aren’t exactly a multitude of. Burnley are being spoken about, and I hear Everton have been having a look at him too.
“He’s been one of the most consistent players at Southampton even while they’ve been struggling, and I expect he will have an eye on returning to the Premier League. If Southampton don’t look like they’re going up, he will be interested in seeing what offers come in for him to make that step up again.”
The 24-year-old is valued at around £17m by Transfermarkt, and his current deal runs until 2028. So, Southampton might be open to letting him leave next summer to make the most profit out of his departure.
Harwood-Bellis, standing at 6ft 2in tall, is a centre-back by trait but is also efficient in the right-back position if needed. He can play out from the back, strong, good in the air, and efficient in defensive contributions.
With Burnley expected to be relegated at the end of the season, Everton could persuade him to join by beating Scott Parker’s side if they make a concrete approach.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the Merseyside club eventually make a concrete approach to secure his services this year.
