West Ham United face tough battle to sign James Ward-Prowse as Sky Sports shares Romeo Lavia update
West Ham United are “not giving up” on their pursuit of Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, but face a tough fight to land him after Liverpool had yet another bid to sign Romeo Lavia rejected.
According to Sky Sports News on Monday (7 August), Southampton have rejected a third bid from Jurgen Klopp’s side for midfield wonder Romeo Lavia with the proposal said to be in the region of £45m.
Talks between Liverpool and Southampton are believed to be ongoing, with the Saints thought to be standing firm on their £50m valuation and this latest development certainly doesn’t provide any encouragement for West Ham in their pursuit of Ward-Prowse.
Sky Sports also shared on Monday that West Ham aren’t prepared to give up their pursuit of the England international and that a compromise is likely needed for a potential deal to be done, after having a £30m rejected, recently confirmed by Saints chief James Wilcox.
With the Hammers already agreeing terms with Ajax for the signing of Edson Alvarez, it seems their bid to seal another new midfield transfer may prove all the more difficult.
It’s clear Southampton are sticking to their guns regarding Lavia, with the Saints demanding a £50m fee outright for the Belgian wonderkid, and it appears as if the Saints aren’t prepared to accept a lower fee at all, which means West Ham may be returning to the negotiation table for Ward-Prowse with no new encouragement.
The England international still only has a year left on his current deal at St Mary’s but that won’t stop the new Championship side playing hardball on his price tag.
The club simply don’t need to sell, either given their strong financial position but also Ward-Prowse played their opening Championship game away to Sheffield Wednesday on Friday and made a telling impact in their late winner from Che Adams, with Ward-Prowse providing the crucial off-the-ball run and pass to seal the three points.
Whether that assist alone adds a few more pounds to Ward-Prowse’s price remains to be seen, but Southampton will be negotiating from a very strong position should West Ham United return to the table and given his crucial importance to the club, it appears as if the East Londoners may have to ready another £35m-plus to seal his services.
West Ham United now face a race against time to get the five or so deals [90Min, 7 August] they want done, but they can’t afford to be rolling over and overpaying.
The Lavia development coupled with Ward-Prowse’s recent impact makes West Ham’s midfield rebuild all the more difficult.
In other West Ham news, one wantaway attacker is now closing on a move to an Italian club, as David Sullivan demands around £10m to sell.