Manchester City to offer new long-term deal to star on-loan defender

Vincent Kompany could be set for a summer battle against his former club to keep on-loan centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, according to a new report.

The 21 year-old England youth international has been a mainstay at the heart of Vincent Kompany’s Burnley defence, registering a staggering 29 appearances across all competitions so far this season.

Among those appearances, Harwood-Bellis has scored one goal and provided a further two assists, with 26 of his total appearances coming in the Championship – where Burnley currently hold top spot by a significant margin.

Burnley recently hit the 80 points mark in England second division, with their dominant 13-point lead meaning that the prospect of Premier League football next season is a pending reality.

However, the question remains as to whether Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Manchester City will sanction another loan spell at the Lancashire club for their first season in the English top-flight under Vincent Kompany.

Before then, a new report has detailed that Etihad Stadium officials will sit down and place a new contract in front of Harwood-Bellis to secure his long-term services should he continue to develop at his current rate in the game.

That is according to the information of Alan Nixon, who has stated that the reigning Premier League Champions are set to offer Taylor Harwood-Bellis a new contract before deciding where the impressive young central defender will play next season.

It is stated that former club captain and current Burnley manager Vincent Kompany will try to keep Harwood-Bellis for the Turf Moor club’s anticipated return to the English top-flight next season.

The summer will be an especially crucial period for Taylor Harwood-Bellis and his representatives, with his current Manchester City contract set to expire in the summer of 2024 – a deal that he signed back in December 2020.

Speaking during a recent interview, the Manchester City academy product highlighted his desire to eventually break into Pep Guardiola’s first-team set-up on a regular basis, but stressed the quality in the defence – that was added to last summer.

“I just focus on my job at Burnley,” Harwood-Bellis said. “I can only do so much, I’ll keep putting in performances and doing my best. Whatever happens, happens. If I break in (the first-team at) Manchester City, then I’ve achieved my goals. If not I go another route.”

However, the importance of going out on loan for the ongoing season was the right choice, Harwood-Bellis stated. The education provided by one of the Premier League’s all-time greatest central defenders will also have been invaluable in his development.

Harwood-Bellis continued, “For me, the best thing was to go on loan, especially with the manager being Vincent Kompany as well. We’re playing a similar way to Manchester City and I feel I’ve made a good decision, we’ll see where it goes next season.”