Aston Villa are expected to test Southampton's resolve with another bid for captain James Ward-Prowse, which is undoubtedly a blow to Ralph Hasenhuttl's hopes of keeping him.

What's the word?

According to Saints Extra on Twitter, Villa believe that it could cost them up to £50m to sign the England international this summer but will attempt to negotiate a lower fee with Southampton.

They also suggest that a second bid is likely, which was also suggested by The Athletic in their initial report on Villa's interest in Ward-Prowse after Dean Smith's side recently submitted a £25m bid.

Could Ward-Prowse leave?

Fortunately for Southampton, Ward-Prowse is contracted at St Mary's until 2024 and having come through the academy, you would hope that he will be loyal to the club should another Premier League side offer him a significant wage increase.

You could also argue that, whilst Aston Villa are clearly spending big this summer, with Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey having already arrived at Villa Park for £30m apiece, they are not too far ahead of Southampton in terms of being an established Premier League side.

Although they were much improved last season, they only managed to scrape Premier League survival in the 2019/20 season, which was aided by the goal technology system failing to work in a home draw against Sheffield United.

However, with Jack Grealish looking likely to seal a £100m move to Manchester City, the Birmingham-based club are not short on funds, and there is no telling on how much they would be willing to spend on a player such as Ward-Prowse.

The 26-year-old is a hugely important part of Hasenhuttl's squad and was the Austrian's most consistent performer in a less than consistent 2020/21 campaign for Southampton, so it would be a huge blow to lose him so close to the new season.

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Therefore, Southampton fans will definitely be worried by this latest transfer report, as they will surely be desperate to keep Ward-Prowse at the club.

And, in other news... Imagine him and JWP: Semmens should seal swoop for beast who "always performs"