Man City defender exits on transfer deadline day as £20m deal details emerge

Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis has joined Southampton on a season-long loan - and could complete a £20million permanent move next summer.

The Saints have an obligation to buy the 21-year-old should they make an immediate return to the Premier League after relegation last season.

And Harwood-Bellis, the captain of the England Under-21s side that won the Euros, is no stranger to Championship success having won the title while on loan at Burnley last season. The Stockport-born defender has also had loan spells at Blackburn, Stoke and Anderlecht.

Harwood-Bellis has made eight senior appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side with his first-team debut in September 2019.

"I’m really happy to be here and can’t wait to get going," he told Southampton's website. "The willingness from their side to get me in the door and when I spoke to the manager and Jason [Wilcox] I think it was straight after then that I knew.

"I felt the warmth of the manager and he explained to me exactly what he wants to do and the ambitions of the club that suited exactly where I am in my career and where I want to be going forward, and I can hopefully do it under the manager here.

"I want to win, I obviously had a taste of that this summer, but my aspiration is to become a better footballer as well, and I feel like I can do that along the way and learn different styles and different ways to play football and I feel like the manager, the staff and the team here can help me do that."