West Ham agree £30m deal with Southampton for James Ward-Prowse

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West Ham agree £30m deal with Southampton for James Ward-Prowse

West Ham United have agreed a £30m deal with Southampton for their captain James Ward-Prowse, sources have confirmed to 90min.

The Hammers have been desperately trying to strengthen their squad after selling Declan Rice to Arsenal in a British-record £105m transfer.

Things have been slow moving for West Ham, amid internal conflicts between manager David Moyes and new technical director Tim Steidten, but progress has been made over the past 48 hours on a number of targets.

Edson Alvarez has completed a medical in London ahead of a £34m move from Ajax, while West Ham have also agreed a £30m fee for former Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire - he is now due to discuss personal terms over a move to the East End.

And sources have confirmed to 90min that after lengthy negotiations, West Ham have agreed a £30m deal with Southampton for Ward-Prowse, with an additional sell-on clause, having seen a bid for the same amount rejected by United for Scott McTominay.

It had looked as though West Ham's move for central midfielder Ward-Prowse would fall through, with Southampton wanting more money for the 28-year-old, but terms have now been agreed between the two parties ahead of the opening weekend of the Premier League season. It's expected he will sign a four-year contract should he come through a medical unscathed.

Ward-Prowse has been at Southampton for the entirety of his career, making 422 appearances on the south coast and scoring 55 goals. He has also provided 55 assists in that time, while his unerring accuracy from free-kicks has drawn comparisons to David Beckham.

West Ham hope to complete deals for half a dozen players before the summer window closes, with attention now set to turn to strengthening in the wide forward areas and with a striker.