As Per David Ornstein of The Athletic, West Ham have agreed a deal to sign James Ward-Prowse from Southampton.
The two sides have agreed a deal for a fee of £30m, and the 28-year-old is set to sign a four-year deal with the Hammers, and both the player and the club are said to be keen to complete the move as soon as possible
David Moyes’ side are working on the completion of this deal alongside a move for Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, who is also expected to make the move to the London side for the same fee as Ward-Prowse, after United accepted a £30m bid for the 30-year-old this morning.
The Saints are set to sell their club captain following their relegation to the Championship last season, and the player will make the move having been at the club since the age of nine, where he has gone on to make 409 appearances in all competitions- scoring 55 and assisting 53 .
Although starting off as a right midfielder for his boyhood side, Ward-Prowse has transitioned to a more central role in recent years- enabling him to contribute in both boxes and demonstrate his excellent leadership qualities, work rate, and stamina. Most notably though, the England international is known for his set-piece ability, more specifically direct free kicks, from which he has scored 17 goals in the Premier League- the second most in the divisions history, just one behind Manchester United and England legend David Beckham; a record which he will be looking to break should he move to The Claret and Blues this summer.
West Ham’s moves for both Maguire and Ward-Prowse would mark their first transfers of the summer so far, as they look to strengthen their squad and reinvest the club-record £105m fee they received for club captain Declan Rice, who has moved to London rivals Arsenal.
Furthermore, Moyes will hope these moves can be completed before this Saturday 12 August, where they will begin their new campaign by hosting Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at the London Stadium.
Travis Levison | Get Football
