West Ham are planning to reignite their interest in Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis this summer, according to talkSPORT.
The Hammers failed in a loan move for the 24-year-old centre-back in January, before eventually signing Chelsea’s Axel Disasi on Deadline Day.
Harwood-Bellis is an established defender at Championship level, having helped guide Southampton to promotion while on loan from Manchester City in 2023/2024, earning him a permanent £20m move.
While he was unable to prevent the Saints from being relegated back to the second tier at the first time of asking, he was once again a star performer for Tonder Eckert’s side.
But the fallout from the Spygate drama surrounding Southampton’s expulsion from the Championship play-off final last month means many angry first team players might now be seeking a move away from St. Mary’s this summer.
Harwood-Bellis could be one of them, especially if West Ham turn their interest into a concrete approach for his services.
It was claimed back in January, following the Hammers’ failed loan bid, that the defender was keen on a move to London Stadium.
West Ham aren’t front runners for Harwood-Bellis signature
Despite the defender previously being keen on the move, much of that will have likely been because they were a Premier League club at the time.
Harwood-Bellis has proven himself in the top-flight, despite tasting relegation in his first full season at that level.
His performances in Southampton’s 2024/2025 campaign led to him earning his first England call-up and, subsequently, his first senior cap.
With that in mind, he might feel like a Premier League move this summer is a more sensible direction at this stage of his career.
According to talkSPORT’s report, newly promoted duo Coventry City and Hull City are also interested in his services. Indeed, there will likely be other clubs keeping tabs on his situation on the south coast, too.
With two years remaining on his St. Mary’s contract, Southampton are in no rush to stay. But manager Eckert has a lot of rebuilding to do in his own dressing room after breaking the trust of his players and, of course, the club’s fans with Spygate.
He will no doubt be desperate to keep the core of his squad in place for another attempt at promotion next season, and Harwood-Bellis will likely be top of the list of players he wants to keep.
West Ham need defensive reinforcements
Nuno Espirito Santo needs to oversee a huge squad overhaul this summer, with several first-team players expected to leave following relegation.
Disasi has already returned to Chelsea following his successful loan spell, while Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman are all being linked with moves away from east London.
That means at least three centre-backs might need to be signed by the Hammers this summer, all with enough quality and experience to help guide West Ham to a promotion-winning campaign.
Harwood-Bellis is one of the best defenders at Championship level, so it would make sense for West Ham to try and tempt him to London Stadium.
And it would be a good start in helping rebuild a squad that is it risk of being seriously depleted by player sales in the coming weeks and months.
