Southampton are demanding £50m for Aston Villa target James Ward-Prowse, according to The Athletic.
What’s the story?
The central midfielder has been a midfield target for Villa all summer. However, the club has failed to agree a fee with the South Coast outfit.
Villa had a bid of £25 million rejected by the Saints for the England international last month.
Ward-Prowse only signed a five-year contract extension to stay at St Mary’s 12 months ago.
A report five days ago claimed Dean Smith is considering changing tack in his search for a defensive midfielder. The Villa manager is said to be considering alternative targets to the 26-year-old.
Aston Villa move for Ward-Prowse appears dead amid £50m valuation
The quality of Ward-Prowse is undoubted. He was a superb player for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men last season, scoring nine times across all competitions.
He would have been a perfect signing for the Midlanders. However, an Aston Villa move for Ward-Prowse appears dead amid news of the £50 million valuation.
The club only recently closed the sale of Jack Grealish for £100 million. Spending half the money on one player wouldn’t be the wisest move.
It would revive memories of Tottenham Hotspur’s use of the Gareth Bale money.
Spurs wasted larges swathes of money on seven players, with few proving a success.
Ward-Prowse is a good player – but surely not worth £50 million?
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