Southampton have turned down an Aston Villa offer worth about £18m plus add-ons for defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Villa are seeking reinforcements, with England international Ezri Konsa expected to join Arsenal in a deal exceeding £50m.
Harwood-Bellis has been with Southampton since 2023, initially on loan, and has one England cap earned in a 2024 Nations League match against the Republic of Ireland.
Southampton, who finished fourth in the Championship last season before the “Spygate” saga curtailed their play-off hopes, are believed to value the former Manchester City academy product at around £25m.
Since winning the Europa League in May, Villa have sold several key players, including Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, Morgan Rogers to Chelsea and Lucas Digne to Paris Saint-Germain.
Goalkeeper Emi Martinez and the club’s Premier League record scorer Ollie Watkins have also been linked with moves away.
This week, Villa signed goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and left-back Matteo Ruggeri. Other summer arrivals include midfielder Joao Gomes from Wolves and forward Johan Manzambi from Freiburg.