The Clarets could need to replace the Manchester City loanee heading into next season.
Burnley romped their way to the Championship title in style in the 2022/23 campaign as they secured promotion to the Premier League with 101 points.
Vincent Kompany is now tasked with building a squad that will be capable of avoiding an instant relegation back down to the second tier next season.
He must, firstly, find a way of replacing some of his loan stars after they returned to their parent clubs. Taylor Harwood-Bellis, for example, spent the campaign on loan from Manchester City and it remains to be seen if they can snap him up on another deal, let alone permanently.
Newcastle and West Ham United are also in the running for his signature on a permanent basis and that could force the Lancashire promotion winners to look elsewhere.
Who could replace Taylor Harwood-Bellis at Burnley?
The Clarets are reportedly one of the clubs showing an interest in signing Galatasaray central defender Victor Nelsson, with fellow top-flight side Brighton also keen, and the ace could be the dream heir to the English battler.
He has a release clause of €25m (£22m) and the Turkish giants are looking to land a fee of more than €20m (£17m) before cashing in on the talented enforcer.
The Denmark international has enjoyed a strong campaign in the Super Lig. Nelsson has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.95 across 31 appearances and completed 86% of his attempted passes.
Harwood-Bellis, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.21 and completed 85% of his passes in 32 outings in the Championship for Burnley; playing second-division football in comparison to the top-flight in Turkey.
These statistics show that both players are composed in possession, as they find a teammate far more often than not, and that there is not a major difference in their average performance level, particularly when you consider that the Danish ace has been playing at a higher level.
Nelsson, 24, also has experience of playing in European competitions.
The Galatasaray “monster” – as he was once dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig – averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.04 in eight Europa League matches in the 2021/22 campaign and won an impressive 66% of his individual duels.
Harwood-Bellis, 21, was a strong presence at the back for Burnley as he won 63% of his battles and Nelsson could provide a similar level of physical intimidation for the Clarets in the Premier League. He has won 66% of his aerial contests in the Super Lig this term and came out on top in 63% of his duels in the 2021/22 campaign.
This shows that both players are dominant defenders who do not allow the opposition forwards to beat them more often than not, in the ground or in the air.
Taking all of this into consideration, Kompany could land the dream heir to Harwood-Bellis’ position in the team by swooping to sign Nelsson as the Galatasaray star could offer a similar level of quality in possession and in his physical duels in the heart of the defence.
