West Ham could miss out on the signing of James Ward-Prowse this summer due to interest from other clubs, according to a new transfer update.
Is Ward-Prowse leaving Southampton?
The Englishman has been a magnificent servant for Southampton, captaining them for a number of years and making 405 appearances in total. He has remained loyal to the club for such a long time, ignoring interest from other clubs, but this summer could see that change.
Saints now look almost certain to be relegation from the Premier League in the coming weeks, at which point Ward-Prowse will surely find a new challenge. He is far too good to be playing Championship football, with the 11-cap England international sure to be wanted by a host of teams.
West Ham will be looking to make significant inroads in the summer transfer market and the £100,000-a-week Southampton skipper is someone they have been linked with a move for in the recent past. A negative update has now emerged regarding their quest to sign him, though.
Could West Ham snap up Ward-Prowse?
According to Football Insider, The Hammers’ hopes of snapping up Ward-Prowse this summer “could be scuppered by interest from Tottenham and Newcastle United”. The Premier League pair are also interested in bringing in the 28-year-old, meaning the east Londoners “could find a deal difficult to do with the interest from elsewhere”.
This is clearly a potential blow for West Ham, with the Saints man someone who possesses so much quality in the middle of the park, even being described as a “world-class” player by former manager Nathan Jones earlier in the year. In terms of his free-kick taking ability, there are arguably few better in the world currently, and he would such an exciting signing by West Ham, coming in and filling the void likely to be left by Declan Rice.
Ward-Prowse has scored seven times in the Premier League this season, as well as registering two assists, but he is also a fighter off the ball, averaging 1.7 tackles per game. The lure of either Tottenham or Newcastle United could be too great for him to turn down, however, with the former still a huge club despite their current issues and the latter looking highly likely to promise him Champions League football next season.
The hope is that West Ham can still lure him to the London Stadium, but it will be extremely tough for them to fend off other high-ranked clubs for his signature.