Tottenham Hotspur could launch a surprise bid for James Ward-Prowse before the end of the transfer window...

What's the word?

That's according to the Telegraph's Mike McGrath, who claims that Spurs are among the teams prepared to test Southampton's resolve after losing star striker Danny Ings, with Jannik Vestergaard also likely to depart.

Mauricio Pochettino wanted to sign the 26-year-old during his time in charge of the Lilywhites, having once dubbed him the "perfect role model" when in charge at St Mary's Stadium, and he remains highly-rated within the North London club.

However, they face fierce competition from Aston Villa, who have him as their no.1 target to bolster Dean Smith's midfield and have certainly splashed the cash throughout the summer so far.

Eriksen's heir

After securing the signature of Cristian Romero, Spurs' attentions are believed to have turned to adding creativity to Nuno Santo's squad, so that could explain why Ward-Prowse has now emerged as a serious option.

The North Londoners have struggled to provide goals outside of lethal frontline duo Harry Kane and Heung-min Son and the issue may stretch back to the departure of Christian Eriksen to Inter Milan some 18 months ago.

Indeed, the England international bagged 54.4% of all their league goals scored last season, whilst the pair both hit double figures for assists and they also led the squad for key passes (1.4 and two) per game, via WhoScored.

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It's evident that the likes of Tanguy Ndombele (0.4), Dele Alli (0.6) and Giovani Lo Celso (0.8) have failed to step up ever since the Dane's exit.

Ward-Prowse would provide Nuno with a much-needed threat that could help take the burden off of Kane and Son, even more so with his set-piece ability, another attribute that has been lacking for the past season or so.

Match of the Day 2 pundit Peter Crouch described him as "[David] Beckham-esque" last season, via the Daily Echo. "We know how deadly he is from set-pieces. It’s just undefendable at times," he added. "When you’ve got someone in your team like that, who can deliver on a sixpence. It’s just so key."

The £27m-rated dynamo, who has now been capped eight times by England, delivered eight goals and seven assists for the Saints, even despite their late-season struggles.

No player still at the club, besides the aforementioned duo, managed more than seven goal contributions in 2020/21.

Ward-Prowse averaged 1.6 key passes per game last term, which was more than Kane and just behind Son, so that only reinforces just how impressive his creative exploits could be in North London.

Back in January, Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl lauded his midfield maestro as "unbelievable", having racked up more minutes on the pitch than anyone else.

He told their official website: "Ward-Prowse played once again but he's a machine. He can play all the time he's unbelievable. He, in the last week, is always the guy who runs the most, fighting for everything and a real captain today on the pitch."

It remains to be seen if the south coast outfit would be prepared to sell their captain, and at what price, but if Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy see an opportunity to do so, then they must splash the cash.

Spurs could be about to finally replace Eriksen and that's a prospect that should delight Nuno and the fans alike.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Spurs transfer claim that'll leave fans buzzing...