West Ham United see relegated midfielder as Declan Rice replacement

West Ham United will need to be active in the transfer window, with the Hammers set to lose out on Declan Rice. Rice is the favourite to sign for Arsenal, however, he’s recently been in contact with Bayern Munich so his future remains up in the air.

Of course, David Moyes’ side has a Europa Conference League final to prepare for so their attention will be elsewhere at this point in time. However, the recruitment team isn’t taking a minute to rest as they plan the best option to replace boyhood Hammer Declan Rice this summer.

According to The Sun, West Ham are currently leading the rice to sign James Ward-Prowse from Southampton. However, the Saints value their 28-year-old legend at £40m, despite them being relegated.

James Ward-Prowse has been in competition with Declan Rice for the title of the best midfielder outside the Premier League big six. However, in truth, both players are phenomenal in their own right.

Ward-Prowse played in Southampton’s final game of the season, which was essentially a kickabout with Liverpool since both sides had nothing to play for. He was the leader of the pack as Southampton mounted their comeback against the Reds, but in the end a point was shared.

Although chasing individuals accolades is frowned upon in football, every player is guilty of it really. With this in mind, James Ward-Prowse will be aware he is just one free-kick goal away from matching David Beckham’s record (18 free-kick goals, JWP has 17).

Obviously, with Southampton being relegated, this prevents JWP from pushing to break that record. Therefore, a move to West Ham would make him the sole free kick taker and enable him to push to break the record set by David Beckham. More on that record below.

Do you think West Ham will sign James Ward-Prowse?