West Ham United manager David Moyes is "really interested" in bringing Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse to East London this summer and will try to tempt him to the London Stadium.

What's the story?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Paul Brown said: "Ward-Prowse is another name that Moyes is really interested in.

"They have ambition there, but it’s a question of whether they can pull off the kind of deals that would make a difference.”

West Ham would be able to offer him European football after they qualified to be in the Europa Conference League next season and if they do make a move then they could face competition from even bigger clubs, with Manchester City and Manchester United amongst others monitoring the situation of the player.

Imagine him and Rice

Another one of the Hammers' challenges this transfer window is keeping hold of their own skipper Declan Rice, with his exceptional performances last season seeing him also linked to United.

Moyes recently confirmed that no bids have been submitted for the player yet, with the Scottish manager adamant he is worth more than £100m.

Given that figure, it's probably unlikely that he will leave this summer so could potentially be around to partner Ward-Prowse should the club sign him.

Last season the £43m-rated Southampton man made 36 Premier League appearances and impressed with ten goals and five assists.

He's been described as "exceptional" by Man City manager Pep Guardiola who also said that he is the best free-kick taker he's ever seen.

His number of minutes last season are almost identical to Rice's so it's fair to compare their statistics directly. When it comes to goal-creating actions per 90 minutes they have similar scores with the West Ham man on 0.23 slightly ahead of Ward-Prowse's 0.20.

The number of tackles each player made in the midfield third is also similar, with Rice making 29 compared to Ward-Prowse's 24.

Given the high praise and performance on the pitch to back it up, £43m seems like a bargain, so if the Hammers can pull it off then it'll be a massive signing.

Their partnership could be just what the club need to push for the Champions League.

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