Aston Villa have had a bid worth around £18m plus add-ons rejected by Southampton for defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis. Villa are actively seeking new recruits following the impending departure of England defender Ezri Konsa, who is set to join Arsenal for more than £50m.

Harwood-Bellis has been at Southampton since 2023, initially on loan, and has earned one England cap in a 2024 Nations League match against Republic of Ireland. Southampton, who finished fourth in the Championship last season before the Spygate scandal ended their play-offs, are understood to want around £25m for him.

Since winning the Europa League in May, Villa have sold key players including Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, Morgan Rogers to Chelsea and Lucas Digne to Paris St-Germain. Goalkeeper Emi Martinez and club record goalscorer in the Premier League Ollie Watkins have also been linked with moves away.

This week Villa signed goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and left-back Matteo Ruggeri. Other signings this summer include midfielder Joao Gomes from Wolves and forward Johan Manzambi from Freiburg.