West Ham are ‘ready to walk away from’ their pursuit of Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, reports talkSPORT.
West Ham have been pursuing a move for Ward-Prowse, 28, throughout the summer. The Saints man has a number of Premier League suitors but it’s West Ham who seem the most keen.
But an emerging report from talkSPORT has revealed that the Hammers are ready to pull the plug on their pursuit of Ward-Prowse, adding that West Ham are unwilling to meet Southampton’s £40million valuation of the player.
Southampton’s 2023/24 season gets underway later this week when the Saints travel to Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night. It’ll mark Russell Martin’s first game as manager and their first game in the English Football League in 11 years.
Southampton also have another in demand player in Romeo Lavia who also remains at the club ahead of Friday’s opener, despite widespread interest from the likes of Liverpool.
What next for Ward-Prowse?
There’s still a month left of the transfer window and so Ward-Prowse may not be worrying about securing a Premier League move too much.
The Saints’ asking price though is proving to be a hurdle and whether or not they’ll eventually receive that £40million for their star man remains to be seen.
He remains under contract until 2026 and so Southampton have a bit of negotiating power here. But as the transfer window nears its end, teams get more desperate and someone could yet cough up £40million for Ward-Prowse.
Sheffield Wednesday v Southampton kicks off at 8pm on Friday night, with the game being shown live on Sky Sports.
