Nottingham Forest are leading the chase to sign Manchester City and England Under-21 youngster Taylor Harwood-Bellis. The centre-back is a wanted man following his exploits at the U21 European Championships which England won.
According to 90Min, Forest are at the front of the queue for Harwood-Bellis. Along with Fulham, the Reds have a strong chance of signing the centre-back; with Newcastle and West Ham also monitoring the situation.
Harwood-Bellis was the England captain at the recent under-21 tournament. He was tasked with leading the group and it was also his job on Saturday night to head up and lift the trophy at the end.
Last season proved a seriously successful one for the defender. With Harwood-Bellis at the heart of the defensive unit, Vincent Kompany led his Burnley side to promotion at an absolute canter.
Heading back to Burnley doesn’t look like an option for the defender at this stage. At 21-years-old, he will now feel he can move to a bigger club and he will hope to continue playing regularly.
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Harwood-Bellis has actually played for Manchester City. He’s made eight appearances and after a Carabao Cup outing against Oxford in 2019, Raheem Sterling called him ‘fantastic’ for his efforts.
Forest leading the chase to sign Harwood-Bellis
The centre-back would be a quality addition to the Forest ranks. He has showcased throughout his young career that he doesn’t mind playing in a two, or a three, in the defensive unit.
Harwood-Bellis is the sort of signing that would delight Steve Cooper. He’s a natural talent when it comes to working wonders with younger players and the City man could benefit.
It’s not clear at this stage how much City would want for Harwood-Bellis. Given that he’s a young talent, they will probably want to recoup a decent fee and Forest might have to dig deep.
Rumour rating: 8/10 – There is a lot to like here. Harwood-Bellis is on the crest of a wave at the moment. He had a wonderful season for club and country and his confidence will be sky high.
Harwood-Bellis is mature beyond his years and Forest could get themselves a quality player here. Furthermore, they could get themselves a player who could become a star and make the club a fortune when it comes to selling him.
This is the sort of signing that would be worth the wait. City might not have made a decision on Harwood-Bellis just yet, but with him stalling on a new contract, they might have no choice but to offload him.