West Ham ready to abandon pursuit of £40m Southampton star

West Ham United are reportedly ready to abandon their pursuit of James Ward-Prowse due to Southampton’s huge transfer demands. 

The Hammers have been looking to add two midfielders this summer following Declan Rice’s £105 million transfer to Arsenal. 

They identified Ward-Prowse as an ideal target, and made a £25m bid to sign the player but the offer was turned down by the Saints. 

The Irons also considered making Flynn Downs part of the deal, but the Hampshire outfit were not interested. 

According to The Guardian, Southampton want around £40m fee to let the England international leave this summer. 

The Londoners have no intention of meeting their valuation and are ready to drop their pursuit of the 28-year-old. 

West Ham have yet to make a new signing in the 2023 transfer window despite only a few days remaining in the new season. 

There is said to be a tension between manager David Moyes and the club’s technical director Tim Steidten regarding this situation. 

Moyes wants to bring in players with Premier League experience and has been unwilling to accept Steidten’s targets. 

Ward-Prowse has been one of the most important players for the Saints since he broke into the first team in 2012-13. 

Primarily operating in central midfield, the 28-year-old has made over 400 appearances in the last 11 years. But he now wants to leave Southampton after they got relegated from the English top-flight at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.