West Ham United have ended their pursuit of Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
That is according to a report from the Daily Mail.
It states that West Ham were interested in James Ward-Prowse but have backed off due to Southampton’s £30m valuation.
It is another blow for the Hammers, who also looked to have missed out on Manchester City winger Carlos Borges.
The same Daily Mail report says their move for the 19-year-old has been hijacked by Ajax.
£30m is not too much for James Ward-Prowse
The £30m price tag that Southampton have slapped on Ward-Prowse is more than reasonable. After all, the 28-year-old is an England international who has plenty of Premier League experience.
It is clear that West Ham want him for a lower fee, perhaps because of Southampton’s relegation to the Championship.
However, the Saints are not in a position where they have to sell their captain for any price. He has a contract until 2026, so there is no pressure to get rid of him.
And if Southampton do need to raise funds this summer, they have the option of auctioning Romeo Lavia off instead. According to Sky Sports, Liverpool have already had more than one offer for the Belgian turned down by the south coast club.
Overall, it has been a very disappointing transfer window for West Ham and David Moyes so far. They have sold their captain Declan Rice, allowing him to join London rivals Arsenal, and are yet to sign anyone.
Last season will go down as a success for the Hammers after their Europa Conference League triumph. However, they did not have the best domestic campaign after finishing just six points above the relegation zone.
If West Ham want to move up the table and do well in Europe again, then they are going to need a strong end to the transfer window after a very poor start to it.
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