Southampton: Sunderland's Ross Stewart and Man City's Taylor Harwood-Bellis sign

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Ross Stewart has signed a contract until the summer of 2026 at St Mary's Stadium

Southampton have signed Ross Stewart on a three-year deal from Sunderland.

The Scotland striker, 27, is Saints' eighth signing of the window and follows the earlier deadline day signing of England Under-21 centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

He joins on a season-long loan deal from Premier League champions Manchester City.

Meanwhile Saints' Germany international defender Armel Bella-Kotchap has joined PSV Eindhoven on a season-long loan.

The 21-year-old made 26 appearances last season after arriving from Bochum.

Stewart scored 40 goals in 81 games for Sunderland after joining from Scottish side Ross County in January 2021.

That included 26 goals in the Black Cats' promotion from League One in the 2021-22 season, including one in the play-off final at Wembley.

But he has not played since January due to an Achilles injury, although he is close to a return to fitness.

Southampton will be the fifth loan spell of Harwood-Bellis' career, but this time, the move contains an obligation to buy if Saints win promotion from the Championship this season, in a deal which would be worth about 拢20m.

Harwood-Bellis, 21, spent last season with Burnley, making 35 appearances and helping them up to the top flight.

He then helped England win the European Under-21 Championship this summer.

"I can't wait to get going," Harwood-Bellis

"I want to win, I obviously had a taste of that this summer, but my aspiration is to become a better footballer as well, and I feel like I can do that along the way and learn different styles and different ways to play football and I feel like the manager, the staff and the team here can help me do that."

Image source, Southampton FC

Image caption, Taylor Harwood-Bellis has previously played in the Championship with Burnley, Stoke and Blackburn

'Perfect fit'

Harwood-Bellis is Southampton's sixth signing from the Manchester City academy since Sport Republic took over at St Mary's.

Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox said: "Taylor arrives with experience beyond his years, including a vast amount of games at Championship level which includes lifting the title last season.

"He's someone who can help us immediately but also has huge potential to continue developing.

"Taylor's attributes make him a perfect fit for our system and how we want to play, and I have no doubt he'll prove to be a valuable addition."