West Ham United have had a whirlwind transfer window as they bid to stay in the Premier League after a 14-year stint - and there is room for one more twist yet with Taylor Harwood-Bellis set to stay at Southampton.
The Hammers have seen major departures in the likes of Lucas Paqueta, Andy Irving, Guido Rodriguez and Luiz Guilherme, as well as the loan exits of James Ward-Prowse and Niclas Fullkrug.
However, stars such as Pablo, Taty Castellanos, Adama Traore and Keiber Lamadrid have been brought in, with Nuno Espirito Santo aiming to keep the Hammers in the league.
Ornstein: Taylor Harwood-Bellis Set for Southampton Stay as West Ham Move Fails
Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Yet in a late twist, the report by The Athletic reporter David Ornstein states that Harwood-Bellis is now set to stay at Southampton, despite interest from West Ham late in the window.
It's thought that the Hammers made two bids for the Manchester City youth academy graduate over a permanent deal, but both offers failed for the one-time England international, and he is set to remain on the south coast.
Harwood-Bellis, who turned 24 on Friday, has been incredibly important for the Saints in recent weeks, starting each of their previous 18 games at the back. And despite a poor run of results which included a seven-game winless streak, the club have deemed him too important to leave at the eleventh hour.
Harwood-Bellis joined Southampton in 2023 after winning promotion to the Premier League in a loan spell with Burnley, and he repeated the trick with the Saints after beating Leeds United 1-0 in the Championship play-off final.
However, after making his move a permanent one for £20million, a dismal campaign under both Russeel Martin and Ivan Juric followed, pushing the Saints back into the second-tier.
It's yet to be seen where Harwood-Bellis will be playing his football next season, especially after links to Burnley, but the rest of his campaign will be spent trying to close the seven-point gap between themselves and the play-offs.