The midfielder was one of a few Saints players who arguably didn’t deserve to be

relegated at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, with the player recording nine goals and

four assists in 38 league appearances.

Not only was he a real threat in the final third, with his set pieces proving to be a game-

changer, but he was also reliable and appeared in every single one of his current side’s

league games last season.

He has also appeared for his current side in pre-season, playing against Reading on

Saturday afternoon with the player remaining a key part of Russell Martin’s plans at this

stage despite the speculation surrounding his future.

Will West Ham’s offer for James Ward-Prowse satisfy Southampton?

It would be difficult to see the Saints being impressed with the offer that has been

launched because the two sides’ valuations of the player seem to be quite far apart at this

point.

The relegated club are keen to secure £40m for the midfielder and with Martin’s side

arguably under no pressure to cash in on the player at this stage, it may take a while for a

compromise to be found.

To make matters more difficult for David Moyes’ side, the Saints would prefer a straight

cash offer and this means they may not be able to include some of their players in a

potential swap deal to lower the amount they have to pay.

The Hammers should be able to increase their bid despite offering £40m for Chelsea’s

Connor Gallagher – because Declan Rice departed in a deal believed to be in the region of

£105m.

How long does James Ward-Prowse have left on his contract at Southampton?

This is key because this is a big reason why the Saints are able to take such a strong

stance on their skipper.

 

At this stage, the player still has three years left on his contract after seeing him put pen

to paper on a five-year deal back in 2021.

With this in mind, Martin’s side can afford to keep him for at least another year without

risking the possibility of losing him for free, something that would be a crushing blow for

the south-coast side considering how much he is currently worth.

What stance should Southampton take on this £25m offer from West Ham?

£25m is a poor bid considering the fact he still has a very decent amount of time left on

his contract.

Leicester City were able to generate around £40m each from the sales of Harvey

Barnes and James Maddison and the Saints should certainly be looking to hold out for

that type of fee.

Even if they don’t end up selling him, they could cash in on one or two other key players

if the relegated side want to give Martin as much as possible to spend.

Romeo Lavia is worth a huge amount, Tino Livramento could leave for an eye-watering

amount and there isn’t a shortage of interest in Che Adams either at this stage.

His contract situation and their ability to cash in on other players means interested side

West Ham will need to cough up a huge fee for the midfielder and if they aren’t prepared

to, they need to be looking at other targets.