James Ward-Prowse could well hold the key to Tottenham keeping Harry Kane.
This is the view of talkSPORT’s Darren Ambrose, who believes the £50million-rated Southampton captain would be a ‘perfect’ fit for Antonio Conte‘s side and give Kane a strong reason to stay.
AFP5Tottenham have been urged to bring Southampton star Ward-Prowse to north London
GETTY5Ambrose believes his signing would lead to Kane agreeing a new contract
Ward-Prowse, who is tied down at St Mary’s until 2026, could be available in the summer with the Saints in danger of being relegated.
The south coast side are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table with just 14 games of the season remaining.
talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook believes that Southampton wouldn’t stand in the player’s way should they fail to beat the drop – but could demand as much as £50m.
Speaking on Drive, he said: “[West Ham and Tottenham] have shown interest in the past. James Ward-Prowse, to his credit, has never publicly agitated for a move.
“But I think if Southampton do go down, certainly he’s not going to want to play in the Championship.
“I think Southampton for their part, although there isn’t a release clause in the contract he signed relatively recently, I think if they do go down and get a decent offer, they won’t stand in Ward-Prowse’s way.
Ward-Prowse, who has scored 14 Premier League free-kicks, is chasing David Beckham’s record as 18
“I think they realise that he wants to be playing in the Premier League and he wants to get back into the England squad for the next European Championship, and he won’t do that in the Championship.”
Pressed by Ambrose at what his value is, Crook added: “That is a really good question, if you’re talking Declan Rice is £100m, I don’t see Ward-Prowse as a £100m player.
“I probably don’t see him as a £70m player, do I see him as a £50m player? Potentially.”
It led Tottenham fan Ambrose to urge the north Londoners to sign the midfielder, insisting it would persuade Kane to extend his stay beyond 2024.
Ward-Prowse has played alongside Kane at international level for England
He stated: “I’d take him at Spurs for £50m. I think he’s the perfect player that Spurs need that goes from defence to attack.
“And he can be that link to the play and I think you’ve got the players that will do the dirty work – the dog work – in terms of [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg and [Oliver] Skipp and players like that.
“I think he’s fantastic. Listen, you sign James Ward-Prowse, Harry Kane stays.
“That’s an extra ten goals a season for him with his deliveries.”
Ward-Prowse is Southampton’s top scorer this season with eight strikes in all competitions, while he has also chipped in with three assists.
The Saints academy graduate has experience of playing alongside England skipper Kane having appeared 11 times for the Three Lions.
Kane is facing an uncertain future at Tottenham, with talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor insisting the England captain would turn Manchester United into title contenders.
