Southampton transfer news: James Ward-Prowse expected to stay with Saints
Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is confident of keeping hold of his captain, amid reported interest from Aston Villa
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl doesn't expect captain James Ward-Prowse to leave St Mary's this summer.
The midfielder had been linked with a move to Aston Villa but seems set to remain on the South Coast.
According to the Daily Echo, Southampton rejected a £25 million bid from Villa last month.
Last season, Ward-Prowse came close to equalling the Premier League record for the most goals directly from free-kicks in a single campaign - and the Saints will be determined to keep hold of their set-piece king.
Hasenhuttl has already seen two key players walk out the exit door, with Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard joining Villa and Leicester respectively.
And although the Saints have acted quickly to replace their top scorer from the last two seasons, bringing in Adam Armstrong from Blackburn Rovers and Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea, they can hardly afford to lose their main creator.
Hasenhuttl isn't worried, though, telling the press ahead of Southampton's season opener away to Everton: "It is normal that [Ward-Prowse] is a guy that everyone wants to have, but I don't see a scenario for him not to be with us for the next few years.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
"He knows he is the captain here; he knows how important he is for our club. He feels good here and we feel good with him."
TRANSFERS Every time the British transfer record has been broken during the Premier League era
TOP FLIGHT Premier League: Everything you need to know for the 2021/22 season
GET READY FourFourTwo 2021/22 season preview and predictions
FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.