Southampton’s skipper James Ward-Prowse is wanted by Erik Ten Hag at Manchester United
According to SunSport, soon-to-be Manchester United head coach, Erik Ten Hag has identified James Ward-Prowse as the man to add to United’s midfield options. Reports say that Pep Guardiola is big fan of Ward-Prowse and there is no doubt that he would want him at Manchester City.
Ten Hag is facing a massive renovation project at Old Trafford and has already begun compiling a list of players he would like to work with. The report claims that Erik Ten Hag has been given the go ahead to sign Ward-Prowse, mainly because West Ham’s valuation for Declan Rice is too high and that they want to keep hold of the midfielder for at least one more season.
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Rice is valued at £150 million by the Hammers, which is too much for United, who will virtually surely lose out on the Champions League next season. Ten Hag, on the other hand, admires James Ward-Prowse and he would cost half as much as Rice. According to Old Trafford sources, he can play as a holding midfielder. Ward-Prowse makes roughly £100,000-per-week with the Saints, and so any increment in his salary may not be an issue for Manchester United.
James Ward-Prowse’s five-year deal with the club extends through June 2026, and he has no plans to leave, despite the allure of joining one of football’s great guns.
Guardiola is looking for a midfielder to replace Fernandinho, who is leaving the club. JWP has been dubbed one of the top dead-ball experts in the world by the City manager. Despite Pep’s interest in James Ward-Prowse, he cannot be guaranteed a lot of game time, considering the many and quality midfield options City will still have after Fernandinho leaves.
Ten Hag will be given a transfer budget of roughly £100 million, with the potential to quadruple that amount through sales and other departures. All three players, Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly, and Anthony Martial, are expected to be sold. Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani will follow Nemanja Matic out the exit door, saving the club £660,000 per week in salary.
