Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ £15m transfer decision is obvious amid West Ham, Brighton, and Fulham interest

It would appear that England have a real player on their hands. Last week, Lee Carsley’s Young Lions beat Spain in a tense affair on the shores of the Black Sea to become European champions, and they did so without conceding a goal all tournament long. It was, in the interests of understatement, no mean feat. The reasons for their defensive solidity were manifold, from the last minute penalty heroics of goalkeeper James Trafford in the final to the aching cool of Chelsea’s shiniest new prospect Levi Colwill, but front and centre in England’s protective efforts was captain, leader, and surefire senior-international-in-waiting, Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Those who hold even a casual interest in Championship football will be familiar with the Manchester City centre-back. After loan spells with the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City, Harwood-Bellis spent last season working under Vincent Kompany as part of Burnley’s promotion-winning juggernaut. It’s hard to think of too many better candidates for a young defender to learn their trade from.

The 21-year-old made 35 appearances across all competitions, and was the third-highest rated Clarets player to have recorded 10 or more outings last term, finishing in the top two for both clearances and interceptions made as well - according to the lab rats at Whoscored. In short, it is unsurprising that the general consensus appears to be that he is now more than ready for a step up to regular Premier League football. Where he will be playing that football, however, remains to be seen.

At the very least, you would imagine that Harwood-Bellis will have no shortage of potential options. Here we have a player who has been described as ‘brilliant’ by Pep Guardiola himself, and who - over the course of the past week alone - has been linked with a plethora of top flight clubs. According to TEAMtalk, alongside the possibility of Burnley attempting to retain his services, Brighton, Wolves, Everton, and Fulham are all keeping tabs on the defender. More recently still, BBC Sport have suggested that West Ham have entered the tussle for his signature, with a valuation of around £15 million touted, should City decide to sell.

And ultimately, that is the detail on which all of this will hinge. Will the treble-winners, lousy with riches as they are, decide to cash in and get rid of a young player whose star has never been more in the ascendancy than it is right now, or will they continue to play the long game and trust in Harwood-Bellis’ potential as a future first team stalwart? To further muddy the waters, if they do opt for the latter course of action, will the defender himself be happy to bide his time on the promise of an opportunity that might never come to fruition? It’s a thorny hypothetical, and one that everyone involved will be eager to navigate with minimum scratches.

It is also worth emphasising that at the time of writing, there is no concrete indication that City would look to sell this summer, and you would imagine that staying at his boyhood club - who just so happen to be the best side this country has seen in at least a generation, by the way - would be a preferable outcome for Harwood-Bellis. But equally, after playing so much senior football in recent years, he can’t be expected to settle for the odd second-half cameo and Carabao Cup sojourn here and there.

Perhaps then, the best solution is also a very familiar one; another loan deal - albeit it one with a club of a slightly higher standing than his previous wanderings. And out of the sides being credited with an interest in the centre-back, one leaps out as a particularly interesting prospect.

Assuming they can’t convince Chelsea into parting company with the aforementioned Colwill again this season - and at this stage, that seems increasingly unlikely - then Brighton are going to need a new defender in the coming weeks. Roberto De Zerbi’s men play a style of football that places trust in the ability of the defence to build calmly and methodically from the back, they can offer continental football for the first time in their history, and in Lewis Dunk, they have an experienced Premier League presence who is as much a blueprint for success as he is a potential teammate for any incoming acquisition.

In a lot of ways then, Harwood-Bellis heading to the south coast makes perfect sense. It would afford him the chance to grow and develop as part of team who will have their own lofty ambitions next term, and it would also allow him to prove himself to his parent club while staying on the books at the Etihad.

If City do decide against selling him this summer - and the gut tells you that they should refrain for at least a little longer - then they could do far worse than striking a deal with Brighton.