West Ham: James Ward-Prowse “keen” on Irons switch

The Southampton midfielder is expected to leave the Saints after they suffered relegation. West Ham United are keen on signing James Ward-Prowse and are expected to continue their pursuit of the midfielder this summer.

West Ham United are expected to “continue to push” for James Ward-Prowse and the midfielder is “keen to move” to the Hammers this summer, according to Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth.

Is Ward-Prowse joining West Ham?

One-club men are few and far between in modern football and there will likely be one fewer this summer as Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse edges closer to leaving St Mary’s Stadium.

Following a dismal season of football on the south coast which saw Southampton demoted to the Championship for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign, there will be the usual exodus of top talent that takes place after relegation.

Romeo Lavia could be set for a move to Liverpool for Liverpool in a deal worth somewhere close to £50m and the Saints’ other most lucrative asset Ward-Prowse is also set for a Southampton exit.

West Ham have a well-documented interest in the 28-year-old and are incredibly eager to accelerate their push for the England international, but Southampton are holding firm on their current £40-50m valuation of the midfielder.

However, according to Sheth, Ward-Prowse is eager to make the switch to West Ham, potentially making a move for the midfielder a more realistic prospect for last season’s Europa League Conference winners.

Speaking on the Transfer Talk podcast, Sheth stated: “It looks likely he will go. West Ham have held talks with Southampton over the potential signing of James Ward-Prowse. West Ham will continue to push. No fee agreed as yet.

“Ward-Prowse, though, we understand he is keen to move to the London Stadium. So, I think West Ham are getting a bit of encouragement on that side of it. Personal terms, not expected to be a problem on this one.

“He didn’t feature in that pre-season friendly that I told you about that Romeo Lavia did feature in against Bournemouth, and that was as a precaution because he had a knee injury. A precaution…we’ll leave it at that.”

Sheth implies that Ward-Prowse may have been rested to protect him from picking up a knock or serious injury that would scupper a potential sale.

West Ham need serious reinforcements in the centre of the park following the departure of Declan Rice and have £105m to reinvest in the squad. Ward-Prowse may not be the only midfielder that arrives at the London Stadium this transfer window.

Ward-Prowse would be a useful addition for David Moyes and he still managed nine goals and four assists in the Premier League last season. The midfielder now has 11 caps for England, netting twice in those games, and is entering the prime years of his career.

How have West Ham fared in pre-season?

Following a dream end to last season that ended in European glory for the Irons, Moyes has the challenge of refocusing minds ahead of a new campaign.

A positive pre-season always helps and the Hammers have already played four times, winning three and drawing one in some high-scoring affairs.

The Hammers started with a 4-1 win over Boreham Wood before heading on their pre-season tour of Australia. They managed a 6-2 win over Perth Glory and a 3-2 victory over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur down under, before returning to the UK for a 2-2 draw with Dagenham and Redbridge.

One man who has enjoyed a wonderful pre-season is 18-year-old Divin Mubama, who has found the back of the net three times already and has been incredibly impressive so far.

West Ham have still got games against Rennes and Bayer Leverkusen to come before their Premier League season opener against Bournemouth.

But it will be interesting to see if any new faces could take part in those games before the start of the new campaign.