Manchester City are said to have agreed to loan Taylor Harwood-Bellis to Anderlecht, coming as a blow to Blackburn Rovers, as per a report by the Lancashire Telegraph.

The young centre back spent the last few months of the season just gone on loan with Rovers and impressed many with his assured displays.

And the 19-year-old even went as far to state that he would be willing to make a return to Ewood Park if the opportunity appeared in the 2021/22 campaign.

However it now appears that the Belgian side have won the race for the teenager's signature, as he closes in on a temporary move to the club which is managed by former City captain Vincent Kompany.

Harwood-Bellis is said to have already flown to the continent and is now close to finalising what will be his second loan move away from the Premier League champions.

The defender is currently under contract at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2024 and played 19 times for Rovers last season.

The Verdict 

This will come as a slight blow to Blackburn who clearly had hopes of bringing the player back to Ewood Park for a second season.

However I am sure that Tony Mowbray will have prepared for all eventualities surrounding this potential deal and as a result of this setback, they are sure to have some good back up options in the pipeline.

Bringing in another body at the heart of the backline will be important as Rovers know all too well that injuries can come back to bite them.

The return of Daniel Ayala from injury will be vital for the club moving forwards as he proved to be a big miss for them at important stages of the campaign and I expect the former Middlesbrough man to be a key performer for Rovers moving forwards.