Tottenham Hotspur are ready to hijack West Ham’s move for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse this summer, according to Daily Star.
The daily tabloid newspaper claims that Spurs monitored the 28-year-old several times at the end of last season. He is on the club’s radar in their search for midfielders to bolster their squad.
Ward-Prowse is also attracting interest from several clubs including West Ham – with the latter having a bid worth £25m rejected by Southampton last week. The Saints are demanding £40m for their long-serving skipper – who is keen on making a return to the Premier League.
The England international has been a faithful servant at St Mary’s Stadium since making his official debut for the club at age 16 in the League Cup against Crystal Palace. He has since gone on to make over 400 appearances for Southampton, scoring 55 goals, and registering 54 assists across all competitions.
Last season, he was one of the most consistent performers for the Saints as they suffered relegation from the top-flight. The all-round midfielder featured in 41 games and made 12 goal contributions in the process.
Ward-Prowse has been tipped to leave Southampton this summer following their relegation but the South Coast side are not willing to sell on the cheap and are standing firm on their asking price.
Hijack move
West Ham have been leading the chase to sign Ward-Prowse but the Daily Star says Tottenham are set to make their own move and are willing to pay much closer to Southampton’s £40m valuation if a deal can be wrapped up quickly.
Tottenham are looking to sell Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – who is reportedly close to joining Atletico Madrid for a fee in excess of £25m.
Ndombele is also said to be on the verge of completing his £11m move to Galatasaray, while Aston Villa are interested in signing Lo Celso, who shone for Spurs during pre-season.
Ange Postecoglou has already brought in James Maddison but the former Celtic manager is still in the market to sign at least two midfielders and Ward-Prowse has emerged as a serious target.
It is believed that Ward-Prowse would not hand in a transfer request in bid to leave Southampton, therefore, Tottenham will have to submit a suitable offer if they intend to bring the Englishman to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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