Taylor Harwood-Bellis Leaves Manchester City for Southampton in £20m Deal

Manchester City have officially announced the departure of centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who has signed with Southampton on a permanent deal.

The 22-year-old defender spent last season on loan with the Saints, under an agreement that required Southampton to make the move permanent if they achieved promotion to the Premier League.

After defeating Leeds United 1-0 in the Championship play-off final, Southampton triggered the purchase clause and secured Harwood-Bellis’ transfer for £20m.

“It’s no secret how much I enjoyed being here last season, so I’m delighted to officially become a Southampton player ahead of the new season,” Harwood-Bellis said. “Bringing this club back to the Premier League and playing in front of these fans week-in and week-out has been amazing.”

He added, “I’ve learnt a great deal over the past two years and developed so much as a player and as a person. To have the opportunity now to represent this club in the Premier League is really special and I can’t wait to get going and to see all the lads again.”

Southampton has made a habit of acquiring young talent from Manchester City in recent years.

In 2022, Southampton appointed former City scout Joe Shields as their recruitment head, quickly following up with signings of Gavin Bazunu, Romeo Lavia, Samuel Edozie, and Juan Larios for nearly £40m combined.

A year later, Southampton brought in Jason Wilcox from City as their director of football. He continued the trend, signing midfielder Shea Charles for £10.5m, goalkeeper Josh McNamara on a free transfer, and arranging the loan for Harwood-Bellis.

Both Shields and Wilcox have since moved on to Chelsea and Manchester United, respectively, but not before orchestrating a £70m investment in young City talents.

Among these recruits, only Romeo Lavia has left Southampton, joining Shields at Chelsea in a £58m transfer.