Transfer news and rumours today: Aston Villa suffer Ezri Konsa replacement blow, Joao Palhinha agrees exit, Burnley land Feyenoord star

Aston Villa person reportedly suffered a setback successful their pursuit of antiaircraft reinforcements aft seeing an archetypal £18m connection rejected for Southampton centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Unai Emery is presently scouring the marketplace for a reliable cardinal defender aft Ezri Konsa's lucrative £55m determination to Arsenal.

Villa are said to person identified Harwood-Bellis, 24, arsenic a superior people to capable the impending void astatine the bosom of their backline.

According to The Athletic, the South Coast nine firmly dismissed the opening connection from Villa arsenic it fell importantly beneath their wide valuation of the player. 

Southampton are understood to worth the England planetary person to £30m aft paying Manchester City astir £20m to unafraid his signature connected a imperishable basis.

Harwood-Bellis inactive has 2 years remaining connected his existent declaration astatine St Mary's and has already featured successful some of their opening competitory fixtures this season. 

While Harwood-Bellis represents an charismatic homegrown enactment with immense potential, his hefty terms tag could unit the Villa hierarchy to see much cost-effective alternatives.

Reports suggest AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori and Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo are besides being intimately monitored arsenic imaginable candidates to bolster the antiaircraft ranks if a determination for the ex-Man City antheral is unsuccessful.

Benfica hold £12m woody for combative Premier League midfield star

Joao Palhinha has reportedly moved 1 measurement person to ending his turbulent spell successful Germany by reaching a verbal statement to articulation Benfica this summer. 

The 31-year-old midfielder primitively joined Bayern Munich from Fulham for a important interest successful 2024 but severely struggled to found himself arsenic a regular starter astatine the Allianz Arena. 

The midfield star's deficiency of accordant playing clip yet led to a mixed indebtedness spell with Tottenham Hotspur during the 2025-26 campaign, which was ever improbable to output a imperishable move. 

A highly anticipated instrumentality to the Premier League with Aston Villa initially appeared apt but those negotiations person present wholly collapsed successful favour of a power to Portugal. 

According to transportation adept Fabrizio Romano, Benfica and Bayern person successfully struck a verbal statement worthy an archetypal €14m (£12m) positive a maximum of €5m (£4.2m) successful performance-related add-ons. 

Official documents are present expected to beryllium exchanged betwixt the respective hierarchies aft Palhinha reportedly personally issued the greenish light. 

Romano reports that Benfica president Rui Costa has reportedly been instrumental successful driving the analyzable negotiations to bring the experienced planetary backmost to his homeland. 

The antiaircraft midfielder is wide expected to enactment pen to insubstantial connected a four-year declaration that volition securely necktie him to Lisbon until the summertime of 2030.

Burnley motion Eredivisie prima to assistance promotion bid

Burnley person officially announced the imperishable signing of centre-back Anel Ahmedhodzic from Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord for an undisclosed fee. 

The 27-year-old defender has enactment pen to insubstantial connected a four-year declaration astatine Turf Moor to instrumentality to English shot aft a azygous play successful the Netherlands. 

Reports suggest that the Clarets person paid a €7m (£6m) interest to unafraid the Bosnia and Herzegovina planetary and heavy bolster their cardinal defence. 

Ahmedhodzic arrives with a wealthiness of Championship acquisition aft antecedently helping Sheffield United execute promotion to the Premier League successful 2023. 

The defender's accomplishment comes astatine an opportune infinitesimal for Burnley arsenic they look to physique momentum pursuing a 2-2 gully successful their opening league fixture against West Ham United. 

Ahmedhodzic revealed that helium was delighted to motion for the Clarets and cited the awesome ambiance astatine Turf Moor from his erstwhile visits arsenic an absorption player. 

The centre-back besides acknowledged his anterior cognition of the Championship portion confidently stating that helium intends to usage his accumulated acquisition to assistance usher the squad towards their goals.