Newcastle United are reportedly looking at a potential summer transfer move for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
Having worked his way through Southampton’s youth ranks, the 28-year-old has now made 396 senior appearances for the south coast club across all competitions, scoring 52 goals and delivering 51 assists along the way.
With the Saints in the midst of a relegation battle, the Englishman could be facing a summer exit from his boyhood club, with one top-flight side already having their eyes on him.
According to a recent report from Football Insider, Newcastle are prepared to get involved in a transfer battle to sign Ward-Prowse this summer should Southampton find themselves getting relegated from the Premier League.
Bearing in mind how Newcastle have a track record when it comes to signing players from fellow English clubs such as Dan Burn, Nick Pope, Matt Targett and Joe Willock, seeing Ward-Prowse potentially be the next Premier League player through the door could be a smart move from the Magpies.
It also states that Newcastle are ramping up plans for another bumper transfer window.
This season has seen the Saints captain score six goals and provide two assists in 25 league appearances, earning himself an overall performance rating of 6.96/10 from WhoScored, making him the highest-rated player at Southampton.
Taking into account how the Englishman has had more touches (857) for Southampton in the midfield third of the pitch than any other player at the club, in addition to the fact that only three other clubs in the league have had fewer touches in that area of the pitch than Newcastle (5670), adding Ward-Prowse to their side could give them more control in midfield.
Would you take James Ward-Prowse at Newcastle?
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Hailed as an “outrageous” player by journalist Jacob Tanswell, the £100k-per-week midfielder would also give Newcastle a certified set-piece specialist, especially when it comes to scoring free-kick goals.
With all of that in mind, we feel that should Southampton find themselves getting kicked out of the Premier League at the end of the season, the Toon should launch a move to sign Ward-Prowse once the summer transfer window opens.