Aston Villa close in on £30m transfer for Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis

Aston Villa have moved swiftly to secure a new central defender, reaching an agreement in principle for Harwood-Bellis. According to The Athletic, the structure of the deal is largely in place, with the club expecting to pay an initial fee of £25 million, plus a further £5m in add-ons, taking the total package to £30m.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also confirmed the news, writing: "Aston Villa have reached a verbal agreement to sign Taylor Harwood Bellis from Southampton, here we go!#AVFC closed the verbal agreement for £25m plus £5m add-ons. Green light from the player. Documents yet to be exchanged but verbal agreement done." Emery was instrumental in driving the move forward after the club previously saw two bids rejected.

The pursuit of Harwood-Bellis became a major priority following the exit of Konsa, who joined Arsenal for £51m earlier in the window. The Midlands club have explored several options in the market to fill the void.

A proposed move for Joel Ordonez collapsed due to concerns over a fractured metatarsal he suffered at the World Cup, while a potential deal for Jean-Clair Todibo was also assessed.

However, Harwood-Bellis remained the primary target. The 24-year-old brings valuable experience, having made 134 appearances for Southampton since joining from Manchester City, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists.

Speculation surrounding Harwood-Bellis intensified recently after he was notably absent from the Southampton squad. While the defender played the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over Colchester United on August 8 and featured in a 2-1 league defeat against Watford, he missed the last three fixtures.

Southampton have opted to leave him out as doubts over his immediate future grew and negotiations with Aston Villa progressed. Having already given the green light to the transfer, he is now expected to become the ninth signing of the summer for Emery's side as they continue to build their squad.

Aston Villa and Southampton will now work to finalise the remaining bonuses and exchange the necessary paperwork to make the transfer official.

Harwood-Bellis will need to complete a medical before the deadline closes. Once confirmed, Emery will focus on integrating the defender quickly into his starting lineup, hoping he can make an immediate impact in their upcoming Premier League fixtures.