Tottenham Hotspur will compete with Aston Villa for the signing of James Ward-Prowse.
According to The Telegraph, both sides are preparing bids for the Southampton captain as they look to strengthen in midfield.
Villa have already had a £25million offer rejected for Ward-Prowse, but they haven’t given up hope of convincing the Saints to part with one of their best players.
The sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City for a British record £100million has enabled Dean Smith to bring in several reinforcements.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey and Norwich City’s Emi Buendia will help fill the void left by their most talented and influential player.
Tottenham have also made their interest in Ward-Prowse known, having successfully prised Pierre Emile Hjobjerg away from St. Mary’s last summer.
The 26-year-old would bring boundless energy and an impressive passing range to the Spurs midfield as Nuno Espirito Santo searches for the right balance.
Improvement is needed after a disappointing season where apathy set in under the belligerent Jose Mourinho.
Fresh blood is needed to reinvigorate the club and the England international’s threat from set pieces, both direct and indirect, can’t be overstated.
He contributed eight goals and seven assists for Southampton last season as they finished 15 points clear of relegation.
Consistently good performances at club level earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2020, but he just missed the final cut.
Danny Ings made the move to Villa Park earlier this month and would be keen to see Ward-Prowse join him.
They struck up a good partnership on the South Coast over the last three years, steering Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side away from trouble.
Meanwhile, Jannik Vestergaard, who has a year remaining on his contract, looks set to join Leicester City after a bid was accepted yesterday.
