A new update on Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ future at Southampton has emerged, with the former England international attracting transfer interest from Liga Portugal heavyweights SL Benfica.

According to Dan Hargraves of the Daily Echo, Marco Silva’s new squad is clearly interested in the Saints captain at the moment, but the Lisbon club has yet to make an offer.

The Saints are just days away from starting their first full Championship season under Tonda Eckert in unusual circumstances, with the fallout from May’s Spygate affair still looming.

The Hampshire club will begin the season with minus-four points due to one of their EFL punishments three months ago, while the aforementioned Eckert may yet face a managerial ban as the FA conducts its own enquiry into the matter.

So far, the transfer window at St Mary’s has been intriguing, but the standout news has been Shea Charles’ recent departure to Fulham in a deal worth up to £30 million, and while Harwood-Bellis continues to attract interest, the second-tier side will hope to keep him for another season.

SL Benfica adore Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis, revealing the truth about the transfer.

Harwood-Bellis was one of the best center-backs in the Championship last season, helping Saints overcome a dismal start under Will Still to reach the play-offs and the FA Cup semi-finals.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ 25/26 Championship Statistics (Source: Sofascore)

Appearances

43

Goals

7

Assists 2

Clean sheets.

12

Passing Accuracy

86%

Recoveries Per Game

4.0

Dribbled Past Per Game

0.2

Errors Lead to Goal

0

The 24-year-old currently has just under two years left on his current deal on the South Coast, having had an original loan move from Manchester City rendered permanent following the club’s 2024 promotion for £20 million.

After continuing to garner transfer interest in January, with Football League World reporting that there were no expectations of a sale, it was speculated post-Spygate that Saints would demand a significant compensation for the center-back if he left this summer.

Benfica is the most recent team to express an interest in his talents, having added Clement Lenglet and Jhon Duran, among others, to his roster before focusing on Harwood-Bellis.

However, after Sacha Tavolieri reported that the Portuguese club would be willing to pay €20 million for his signing, Hargraves indicated that Saints fans should not be ‘alarmed’ by such rumours, and that Benfica would potentially have to ‘break the bank’ to make a deal.

Southampton fans respond to the new Taylor Harwood-Bellis transfer twist.

Unsurprisingly, such occurrences have elicited comments from Saints fans, who will be hoping that the next few weeks mark a bright start to the season after a difficult summer.

In response to the transfer news, one fan said, “All bids must be rejected. He is our captain and will be critical to having a successful season.”

Another simply stated, “Reject the offer.” “He is the main man.”

Given Harwood-Bellis’ importance on and off the field, another fan stated, “Surely (we) would need more than what we sold Shea Charles for.” “Absolute key player.”

And, after recovering from a rocky start last season, another Saints fan quipped that a similar turn of events would limit transfer interest, writing: “Let’s hope he has his slow start to the season syndrome again this year.”

Southampton would struggle to replace Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Having signed him for £20 million, it would be unusual for Saints to accept a €20 million (£17 million) deal, given that Harwood-Bellis has improved dramatically over the last two years despite the club’s varied circumstances.

Furthermore, while the opportunity to profit exists, Eckert would find it difficult to replace the defence with a player of such quality immediately, especially given that Deadline Day is less than three weeks away.

It would be a major loss, regardless of how possible or unlikely an exit is at this point, with the club captain contributing to such a solid spine of the team, which will remain in place this year following the permanent purchase of Daniel Peretz from Bayern Munich behind Harwood-Bellis in goal.