West Ham are keen on signing a midfielder after selling Declan Rice, with Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse the subject of interest.
The Hammers are in a poor negotiating position this summer, with everyone well aware of the £105million they received for Declan Rice.
With Ward-Prowse consistently linked with a move away following the clubs relegation to the Championship, a move always seemed likely.
Ward-Prowse has been at St. Marys his entire career, playing 11 seasons in the Premier League with the Saints.
But now with a departure suggested, David Moyes seems keen on signing the Englishman.
West Ham bid for Ward-Prowse
According to The Telegraph, the London outfit have submitted their opening bid for the talented midfielder.
The report adds that the bid is thought to be worth around £25m in total, a figure far below what he is worth.
With the Hammers also offering £40m for Conor Gallagher, Southampton would be justified to request more for such a senior and experienced star.
With three years on his contract, there is no rush to sell him for below his value, however the relegation severely weakened the position.
How would we replace him?
It will be difficult to replace the “World-Class” star, as Nathan Jones described him, via Hampshire Live.
However the Saints have been continuously linked with moves for midfielders, with Matt Grimes suggested as a potential incoming.
The Swansea midfielder worked with Russell Martin previously and would therefore be almost the perfect signing to quickly adapt to his new club.
Grimes also has bags of Championship experience with nearly 250 games in the league.
He also represents a similar profile to Ward-Prowse, in that both are top quality on the ball.