West Ham is considering withdrawing from the deal to sign James Ward-Prowse after their second bid for the Southampton midfielder was turned down. David Moyes, aiming to strengthen the midfield after Declan Rice’s £105m move to Arsenal, has identified Ward-Prowse as a key target. However, Southampton’s asking price of around £40m is seen as too high by West Ham, who value the player at no more than £25m.
The club is yet to make any signings, and there is reported tension between Moyes and the technical director, Tim Steidten. Moyes is keen on players with Premier League experience and has been hesitant to pursue Steidten’s recommended targets. The situation at the club is being described as chaotic by insiders.
West Ham, whose current midfield options include Tomas Soucek, Flynn Downes, Conor Coventry, and Lucas Paquetá, have decided not to force Steidten’s choices on Moyes and are backing their manager instead. Ward-Prowse is eager to leave Southampton following their relegation, and Moyes is impressed by the 28-year-old’s set-piece expertise.
However, West Ham is cautious about overpaying and sees limited resale value in Ward-Prowse, given that he will turn 29 in November. They are also concerned about meeting his wage demands of approximately £100,000 per week.
As a result, West Ham is exploring other options. Targets include Manchester United’s Scott McTominay, Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, Fulham’s João Palhinha, and Ajax’s Edson Álvarez. Additionally, a loan deal for Juventus’s Denis Zakaria is being considered.
Moyes is also keen on signing a right-sided central defender. West Ham had a £20m bid for Harry Maguire rejected by Manchester United recently. They have been working on securing a deal for Manchester City’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis and are interested in Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah.
Furthermore, the club is set to complete a £14m deal for 19-year-old Manchester City winger Carlos Borges. They may also look for a striker if Michail Antonio or Gianluca Scamacca departs, with Roma and Internazionale expressing interest in the latter.
Scamacca had a disappointing season after joining West Ham for £35.5m last summer and is likely to leave. Inter’s £20m offer was rejected on Monday, and it remains uncertain if they will increase their bid for the player, who is keen to return to Italy.
