Taylor Harwood-Bellis is a wanted man. He’s impressed on loan at Blackburn Rovers and has interest from Leeds United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford for next season. Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News says that a number of Bundesliga clubs are ‘eyeing’ him too.
City won’t make a decision on the 19-year-old’s future until the end of the campaign as they want to look at him in pre-season, but MEN add that there is the ‘possibility’ of another season-long loan in 2021/22 if Pep Guardiola doesn’t believe Harwood-Bellis will get many first-team opportunities.
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The England U20 international has made 11 appearances while on loan at Blackburn, impressing at centre-back under Tony Mowbray, so his future looks bright.
Harwood-Bellis rose through the youth ranks to the City first-team in 2019/20, making 21 appearances for the U18s, 10 appearances for the U19s, 40 appearances for the U23s and eight appearances at senior level (Transfermarkt).
He has Ruben Dias, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and Eric Garcia standing in his way of getting playing time for Guardiola, but the door won’t be shut forever. Garcia looks on his way out and Ake’s long-term future may be up in the air after an injury-laden season, so Harwood-Bellis might be the internal solution.
Until then, a loan move away would suit all parties. Whether he goes to German or stays in England is up in the air, however.
In other news, Sergio Aguero tipped to leave Man City as he ‘hasn’t had much game time’