An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their plans to improve their midfield options during the summer transfer window…
What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?
According to the Daily Mail, Spurs are one of a number of clubs eyeing up Southampton central midfielder James Ward-Prowse ahead of the 2023/24 campaign as Ange Postecoglou looks to bolster his team.
The report claims that fellow Premier League sides Fulham and West Ham United are also interested in snapping up the England international over the coming weeks.
It states that the Saints captain is 'expected' to move on from St. Mary's after his boyhood club were relegated to the Championship at the end of last season.
The same outlet reported last month that Southampton have placed a £50m valuation on his head, whilst they also claimed that Liverpool were prepared to pay half of that at the time.
How long has James Ward-Prowse been in the Premier League?
Ward-Prowse made his Premier League bow during the 2012/13 campaign and has made a staggering 343 appearances in the competition to date, which shows that he is an experienced, proven, player at that level.
The 28-year-old maestro, whose set-pieces were hailed as "exceptional" by ex-boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, would arrive at Spurs as a midfielder with the quality to hit the ground running, rather than needing to adapt after coming over from a foreign league or needing to develop as a youngster.
This is also the case with recent signing James Maddison, as the 26-year-old has joined with 163 top-flight matches already under his belt from his time at Leicester City.
Ward-Prowse and Maddison could form an unstoppable pairing in the middle of the park as their performances for their respective clubs last season suggest that the ability is there for them to make an instant impact for Postecoglou.
The former averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.23 across 38 Premier League games for Southampton and contributed with nine goals to go along with two chances created per match.
Meanwhile, no Spurs player managed more than 1.7 key passes per outing, with Heung-min Son and Pedro Porro both leading the way in that regard. This suggests that the English dynamo would provide a much-needed injection of creativity in the middle of the park, with his ability to create opportunities on a regular basis.
Maddison, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.33 across 30 league matches for Leicester, which would have placed him second in the Lillywhites squad.
The Coventry-born gem caught the eye with ten goals and 2.3 key passes per clash for the Foxes, as he proved himself to be an exceptional attacking threat from a number ten position, despite the Foxes' relegation.
Only Harry Kane (30) scored more Premier League goals than the former Norwich man, whilst no Tottenham player created more per match, including potential Spurs ace Ward-Prowse.
These statistics suggest that Maddison and the Southampton captain could form an unstoppable pairing in midfield for Postecoglou as they are both capable of being excellent goal-scorers and creators, more so than any of the midfielders the Australian coach inherited from last season.