Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse is “keen” on moving to West Ham United during the summer window, according to The Telegraph’s Matt Law.
The Telegraph reported on 8 June that the 28-year-old is currently valued in the region of £50million by the Saints hierarchy.
Law has since claimed (26 June) that the England international is interested in moving to the London Stadium.
“West Ham want to use the money they will make from selling Declan Rice to sign three players, two of whom will be midfielders to replace the club captain,” he wrote.
“Ward-Prowse is keen on a move to the Hammers, but Ajax’s Alavarez may be harder to get.”
It’s certainly encouraging to see Ward-Prowse warm to the idea of moving to the London Stadium.
However, at the current price tag, a move is highly unlikely.
Southampton do owe some sort of repayment to their star man. He’s stuck with them through thick and thin and should be allowed the return to the Premier League.
With Rice set to depart, looking to land the set-piece expert could be a smart piece of business. We all know that there’s no replacement for Rice, but if two or three quality additions are added, the board and David Moyes will be content.
The sooner everything is wrapped up the better when it comes to Rice. Arsenal appears to be his preferred destination but, at present, the Gunners are unwilling to match West Ham’s £100m+ demands.
Manchester City are lurking and before long Pep Guardiola will make their interest more advanced. If City do lodge a bid, it will be up to Rice to make a decision on where he wants to end up next.
