West Ham could get a bargain deal for James Ward-Prowse as their Declan Rice replacement from doomed rivals Saints.
West Ham fans have come to accept that Rice will be sold this summer.
Especially after the West Ham captain announced his desire to play regular Champions League football and compete for the top trophies during that England press conference at the World Cup.
David Moyes will already be eyeing potential replacements. Indeed over the last year Moyes has been trying to bring in Rice’s replacement before selling his talisman with moves for the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Ward-Prowse.
That was extremely ambitious but made perfect sense because as soon as West Ham do sell Rice, clubs will know just how much the Hammers have burning a hole in their pocket when they move for a replacement.
But ultimately it proved fruitless as Phillips ended up at Man City while Ward-Prowse stayed with Southampton, who had put a £70m price tag on his head when West Ham came sniffing.
Reports from the likes of Sky Sports have suggested West Ham will try again for Southampton’s captain and star man this summer.
West Ham have found themselves in an unexpected relegation battle this season, territory the Saints are well used to.
The welcome 4-0 thumping of Forest last time out has given West Ham real hope of Premier League survival.
But the same cannot be said for Southampton, who are rock bottom and face one of the toughest run-ins of any team in the league.
Many feel Southampton are now certainties to drop into the Championship.
So West Ham could get a bargain deal for Ward-Prowse as their Rice replacement from doomed rivals Saints.
If, as is expected, Southampton drop then they would have to sell their star man and most valuable asset to plug the financial hole relegation digs for demoted teams.
Ward-Prowse would have to move to a Premier League club to protect his place in the England squad.
And Southampton would not be able to demand anything like the £70m they previously quoted West Ham.
Relegation tends to cut transfer fees in half so the Hammers could likely get Ward-Prowse for around £35m come the summer.
The midfielder is also Saints’ highest earning player ever on £100k per week.
Obviously West Ham have to build on the result against Forest and ensure they remain in the top flight.
But another factor in West Ham’s favour is that it seems unlikely any of the so-called top clubs would be in for Ward-Prowse. Especially if one of them signs Rice.
That would put the Hammers in the top bracket of clubs vying for Ward-Prowse’s signature.
Moyes could get one of the best free-kick takers in world football for a bargain fee AND be left with plenty of change from the Rice sale to reinforce other areas of the team.
Paul Merson criticised Ward-Prowse for not pushing for a move to West Ham when they registered their interest in the summer (The Daily Star).
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