Potential West Ham blow revealed in Southampton player pursuit

The Hammers may need to fork out more than expected for Ward-Prowse following this latest update.

Southampton are not keen on a swap deal involving James Ward-Prose and would be keen to secure a straight cash deal with West Ham United if they are to sell the Englishman this summer, a report from the Daily Mail has revealed.

The Saints are looking to go into the 2023/24 campaign looking as strong as possible as they look to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, something that won’t be an easy task considering the competition they face for a spot in the promotion mix.

And they could see a few key players depart the club before the summer transfer window closes, with Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia and Tino Livramento all being heavily linked with a move away from St Mary’s.

Russell Martin’s side will be keen to secure the best possible deals for themselves if they did make a few key sales – and that could potentially see negotiations drag on for some time.

Southampton’s stance on a West Ham swap deal

The Hammers are willing to include Flynn Downes in any deal that sees Ward-Prowse come the other way, according to The Guardian.

However, the Saints don’t want to take Downes on loan as part of this deal and would prefer a straight cash offer instead, which could mean the Hammers pay out more to recruit him.

If David Moyes’ side had been willing to let Downes join the Saints permanently, that could have brought the price down considerably but it doesn’t seem as though the relegated side would be open to this either.

What is West Ham’s valuation of James Ward-Prowse?

The Saints reportedly value at £40m but West Ham’s valuation is believed to be at £25m at this stage.

With that in mind, it may take Moyes’ side some time to reach a compromise with Martin’s side if they are serious about bringing Ward-Prowse in.

The sale of Declan Rice should help them to fork out a sizeable amount for the south-coast side’s captain, but the Hammers may also want to address other areas with the money they generated from the England international’s sale.

Should Southampton be willing to change their stance?

If Downes is included in a permanent deal and West Ham are willing to pay £25m on top of that, this is a deal that should be considered because the ex-Swansea City man could be a real asset for the Saints.

Although Martin’s side will probably want to get a straight cash offer and use that money to bring in players they desperately want to sign, someone like Downes could help the Saints’ boss to implement his style of play.

The relegated outfit shouldn’t just be looking to take him on loan though because they will want him as a long-term asset at St Mary’s.

And if the Hammers just offer Downes on loan in an attempt to reduce the amount they need to pay for Ward-Prowse, the Saints should be having none of it and that stance shouldn’t change.

Martin’s side can afford to stick with their tough stance on Ward-Prowse considering he’s tied down to a contract for another few years, so they shouldn’t be looking to cash in on him for a low price and certainly not at £25m.