16 August 2023 , 13:55
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Manchester City are willing to sell defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis before the transfer window shuts with Leeds battling Championship rivals Leicester and Southampton in the race to sign him.
Leeds are in need of new arrivals ahead of the September 1 deadline with several players leaving the relegated club, others refusing to play and a growing injury list. One area that requires immediate attention is the defence, even after the loan signing of Joe Rodon from Tottenham.
The Whites have long been linked with City's centre-back Harwood-Bellis - and now the Premier League champions have made a decision on the 21-year-old's future. According to the Telegraph (via LeedsLive), City are open to selling Harwood-Bellis before the window closes, provided the right price is offered.
The young defender has one year remaining on his contract at the Etihad, and a fee of £15 million has been suggested in previous reports. Leeds could face competition for the youngster from two other relegated sides, Leicester and Southampton.
Both clubs have made significant profits in the transfer market this summer, with Leicester hoping to leverage head coach Enzo Maresca's connections to City in any potential negotiations. Maresca, who took the top job at the King Power Stadium this summer, was previously on Pep Guardiola's coaching staff at the Etihad.
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Harwood-Bellis played a crucial role in Burnley's Championship-winning campaign under Vincent Kompany last season and captained England's under-21s side to victory in the European Championships this summer. West Ham and Everton were also rumoured to be interested in the highly-rated defender earlier in the window but look to have moved on to other targets.
Leeds have already seen several defenders leave on loan this summer, including Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Rasmus Kristensen and Max Wober. Additionally, club captain Liam Cooper suffered a plantar fascia rupture in the first game of the season against Cardiff, ruling him out for eight weeks.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis captained England's under-21s to Euros victory in the summer (UEFA via Getty Images)While Rodon was brought in on loan to provide cover and new signing Ethan Ampadu has experience playing in defence manager Daniel Farke has utilised former Chelsea youngster Ampadu in central midfield so far. Guardiola hailed Harwood-Bellis as "exceptional" when he starred in a Carabao Cup win against Preston in 2019.
"I am pleased a lot with Eric Garcia and Taylor Harwood-Bellis at the back, they helped us a lot," said the City boss at the time. "They combined, they suit each other perfectly and they have played in the academy every weekend. They are exceptional human beings with a good mentality. I am very pleased."
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