West Ham Look Toward Ward-Prowse
Southampton and West Ham could soon be joining forces in a new football dance, as the London club prepares to make a bid for Saints’ midfield maestro, James Ward-Prowse. It’s not just any bid, mind you, it’s a rather calculated one, a total of £20 million to be exact, which interestingly, represents just half of what the South coast club perceives to be the real value of the England international.
As reported by the Daily Mail, this turn of events comes at a time when the Southampton team, following a rather unfortunate relegation, are attempting to garner a whopping £100 million through player sales, a mission that has placed Ward-Prowse at the heart of the equation. In this looming battle of numbers, where West Ham are on the prowl for a bargain, only time will tell if the Saints will relinquish their captain and primary source of set piece magic.
Club Conundrum: To Sell or Not to Sell
In an ideal world, Southampton would want to keep both Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia within their ranks. But the current scenario suggests that this dynamic duo could be their most lucrative ticket to the coveted revenue streams. With Ward-Prowse eliciting interest from nearly a dozen clubs this summer, age becomes a barrier preventing the switch to an elite team.
Meanwhile, West Ham, freshly infused with cash from the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal, are in a prime position to strike a deal. Looking to add to their squad a more robust defensive option in the midfield, options such as Juventus’ Denis Zakaria or Leeds United’s Tyler Adams are on their radar. Yet, Ward-Prowse remains their main target.
Eyes on the Young Blood
Elsewhere, Chelsea and Liverpool are playing a strategic game around young Lavia. If negotiations for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, currently valued at an eye-watering £100m, falter, Chelsea may return their focus to Lavia, whom they valued at £50m just six months ago.
Liverpool, too, have their sights trained on Lavia, his age, a ripe 19 years, and Premier League progression piquing their interest as they seek to inject younger talent into the squad.
Moving Pieces on the Chessboard
But worry not, Saints’ fans, for the club has already begun plotting their next moves. Confidential information last week revealed that Manchester City’s highly-rated Shea Charles has been in talks with the club. The Northern Ireland international is set to have his medical check-up with the club by Monday noon, with a potential deal of £15m on the horizon.
While a deal with Leicester’s Hamza Choudhury now appears unlikely, others, including Armel Bella-Kotchap and Paul Onuachu, are attracting interest from abroad. Monaco and various Bundesliga clubs have been eyeing Bella-Kotchap, whereas Onuachu has Stuttgart, Augsburg, and Borussia Monchengladbach tracking his progress.
As the transfer season unfolds, even Kyle Walker-Peters and Tino Livramento could be headed for pastures new. Newcastle United and Chelsea have shown interest in Livramento, but the young defender seeks a club where he’ll find consistent playing time.
It seems like a grand game of chess is unfolding, and fans will have to wait and see who ends up on which side of the board.
