Tottenham Hotspur could finally sign James Ward-Prowse this summer transfer window…
What's the latest on Ward-Prowse to Tottenham?
According to Football Insider, the 28-year-old playmaker will definitely leave Southampton if they are relegated from the Premier League this season and the Lilywhites are among the most likely destinations.
It's thought that Spurs are big admirers of the England international, and it is expected that they make their move before next term.
It does, however, remain to be seen how much Ward-Prowse would command, with FootballTransfers currently valuing him in the region of £36m. Presuming the Saints do go down, you'd imagine that they would struggle to garner anywhere near that sort of figure.
When Burnley were relegated last year, the Clarets' biggest sale that saw a player instantly return to the top-flight was Nathan Collins, having cost Wolverhampton Wanderers just £20.5m.
Is this Paratici's last roll of the dice?
Spurs have long been linked with interest in the Southampton skipper, having been mooted with interest via the Telegraph back in the summer of 2021.
Just like first-team manager Antonio Conte, sporting director Fabio Paratici is facing immense pressure over his job security right now because ultimately, he was the one that pushed to sign the Italian on an expensive contract and signed off questionable transfer dealings, such as Clement Lenglet in the summer and Arnaut Danjuma in January.
Bringing Ward-Prowse to the club this summer could save face as it would fulfil one of the squad's biggest gaps – the need for an attacking midfield maestro.
Truth be told, the north London outfit have never replaced Christian Eriksen, with players such as Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso failing to stake a claim in such a role.
The 28-year-old dynamo – renowned for his set-piece ability – is a proven Premier League playmaker, having provided over 100 goal contributions across 399 appearances for the Saints. As Roman Selles' top-performing player this campaign, via WhoScored, Ward-Prowse leads the squad for key passes by quite some margin (2.2 per game).
These returns would also see the "unbelievable" £100k-per-week "machine" – as lauded by his former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl – rank first among the current Spurs squad, with Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski ranking joint-first on 1.8 attempts per game.
As such, the introduction of Ward-Prowse would be a good way to kickstart a new era because whoever walks into the dugout will have one less gaping void to worry about and at the same time, this calibre of signing could well keep Paratici in a job, at least in the short-term.