West Ham United are believed to be still in the running to sign Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse as David Moyes continues his summer transfer business.

What's the word?

According to Sky Sports, the Hammers are said to be 'in the market' for a new midfielder and remain interested in the 27-year-old, albeit with an acceptance that a deal could be 'difficult' to pull off.

The Saints' academy graduate only signed a new five-year deal with his current club last August and is an England international, with it likely to take a sizeable fee for the east Londoners to be able to prise him from a fellow Premier League club.

Previous reports have suggested that the figure could be as high as £75m - which would be a record deal for the London Stadium outfit - although Moyes is said to be a 'big fan' of the 11-cap sensation.

Bye-Bye Soucek

This hunt for a new midfield addition comes amid rampant speculation regarding the future of current first-team regular Tomas Soucek, with the Czech Republic international having been heavily linked with a move to Aston Villa in the current window.

The 27-year-old has scored 18 goals and provided two assists in 86 Premier League games since joining West Ham from Slavia Prague (initially on loan) in January 2020. However, despite that vital contribution, it has been reported that the £15m ace could be allowed to leave this summer.

While Ward-Prowse would be unable to replace the 6 foot 4 giant's physical midfield dominance - with Soucek ranking in the top 2% for aerial duels won among those in his position across Europe's top five leagues - the Englishman would provide a greater threat in an attacking sense.

The set piece wizard - who Pep Guardiola described as the "best free-kick taker" he has ever seen earlier this year - provided ten goals and five assists in the league in the 2021/22 campaign alone, with his total top-flight tally now standing at 40 goals and 34 assists in 305 games for the St Mary's outfit.

The £100k-per-week "baller" - as described by Lianne Sanderson - has netted 14 of those from free-kicks, with only Manchester United icon David Beckham having a better record (18) in Premier League history.

West Ham supporters can only imagine the carnage that the £28.8m-rated ace could cause with his lethal set piece skill, with the likes of Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma set to thrive on his wicked delivery into the attacking penalty area.

A sheer master of his craft, the "unbelievable" playmaker - as described by team-mate Oriol Romeu - would also help to bolster a midfield which has been depleted by the recent retirement of long-serving captain Mark Noble. Ward-Prowse is potentially the man to fill the penalty-taking void left by the Irons legend, having scored 11 spot kicks in his top-flight career thus far.

An all-round asset, the Portsmouth native's arrival at the London Stadium would not only help to soften the blow of Soucek's possible departure, it could also provide an extra attacking threat to Moyes' team.

AND in other news, Moyes plotting move for “special” £45m “baller”, he’d be a “superstar” for West Ham