Man City set to land £7.5m after Aston Villa bid submitted

Manchester City supporters have always expected big things from former defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Some at the Etihad Stadium wanted him to be given an opportunity upon returning from his two previous loan spells at Burnley and Southampton.

The centre-half joining the Saints on a permanent deal in the summer of 2024 appears to have been the best thing for his development, though.

Had it not been for Tonda Eckert's activities off the pitch during the Championship play-offs last term, he might have been playing Premier League football in 2026-27.

With 11 days of the transfer window remaining, there is still time for that to become a reality for the 24-year-old, with Aston Villa targeting him.

Unai Emery has now lost Ezri Konsa, as well as Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne, with the Villans looking to the Championship for defensive reinforcement.

Man City hold sell-on clause for Taylor Harwood-Bellis

Southampton have knocked back Villa's initial £18million bid, plus £2m in add-ons, with the club valuing him at £30m instead.

This is important for Man City because of the sell-on clause included in his contract when he signed across the dotted line at St Mary's Stadium.

While not confirmed, it is understood that the sell-on clause is 25 per cent. If that's true, the Citizens will be set for a very sizeable windfall.

Should the Saints get the £30m they're after, City would get £7.5m. And although that's a drop in the ocean for the club, it cannot be ignored at all.

Even a £25m offer would see £6.25m fly into Man City's pocket.

The club continue to make decent profit from academy gems. Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, James Trafford, James McAtee, Romeo Lavia, all sold in recent years.

These sorts of deals continue to help the balancing of the books, allowing Enzo Maresca to work on some more sizeable transfers at the Etihad.

Aston Villa target praised by the Pep Guardiola

Although Harwood-Bellis was always second-fiddle to a big-money signing at Man City, Pep Guardiola was never short of prase for the player.

Speaking back in 2019, when Harwood-Bellis was 17, Guardiola said: “From now on, he will train with us. Whether he will play or not, we’ll see.

“The guys from the academy spoke really well about him before preseason. I saw in preseason. He is aggressive, he wins duels, he pays attention. “

He made just eight senior appearances for the Citizens during his several stints with the first-team, but ultimately made a decision for his career.