Carlton Palmer believes that Aston Villa wouldn't be a sideways move for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse.

Dean Smith's side might have finished 12 points ahead of the Saints, but disappointing second half of the season meant they ended up just four places above the St Mary's outfit.

However, widespread reports believe that Smith is trying to bring the Southampton captain to Villa Park this summer in what would be their latest high-profile Premier League addition.

Villa have already secured the services of Norwich's Emiliano Buendia for a club-record fee last week, whilst Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez arrived 12 months ago.

Ward-Prowse has enjoyed an impressive season for Southampton, scoring eight times – two of which were stunning free-kicks against Aston Villa – which is more than Jack Grealish, whilst also laying on seven assists for his teammates.

However, his form wasn't enough to see him named in Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad for the Euro's despite an outstanding performance in the final warm-up game against Romania on Sunday.

Palmer told Football FanCast that signing for Villa would be a progressive move for Ward-Prowse despite the club's both on a similar level:

"Villa are going for it. They've just managed to sign Buendia. Villa are a big, big club, and have a top manager in Dean Smith.

"So, from Southampton to Aston Villa, I think that's a good move. And with Grealish there, I don't expect Grealish to be going anywhere.

"He's getting a very good squad of players there, and they could be challenging top six or top seven next season, so that would be a good move for him."