The 24-year-old English centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis signed a five-season permanent contract with Aston Villa. The young player was on Benfica's radar, but ended up completing the transfer to the English club.
Aston Villa paid around 30 million euros to Southampton for the signing of the centre-back. This value represents a significant investment by the Birmingham club in strengthening their defense for the coming seasons.
Harwood-Bellis arrives at Aston Villa after a standout season at Southampton, where he became one of the team's defensive anchors. The English player developed his career in recent years, gaining experience in both the Championship and the Premier League.
The transfer comes at a time when Benfica were looking to strengthen their defensive sector, having identified the player as a possible option. However, Aston Villa managed to secure the defender's signature before the Eagles, thus completing one of their main transfer window objectives.