It will be a summer of change at St Mary's Stadium following Southampton’s relegation to the Championship.
The Saints finished dead last in what was a disastrous season on the south coast, and the squad could see a serious shake-up as a result.
Sources have reported West Ham’s interest in James Ward-Prowse, with the possibility of young midfielder Flynn Downes moving the other way.
Downes, who only started seven Premier League games last season, may be used as a sweetener in a deal to bring Southampton’s free-kick specialist to east London.
Southampton transfer news – Flynn Downes
That's according to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, who shared on his Patreon account that David Moyes had shortlisted Ward-Prowse on his summer wishlist, but the current price is too high.
According to the Independent, the Saints are demanding close to £30m for their captain, but it is expected that the player will leave St Mary's to play in the Premier League in the upcoming season.
Ward-Prowse could be one of a number of signings for West Ham if Declan Rice does leave the club.
As Southampton look to rebuild, ExWHUemployee stated:
"Southampton were considering making a move for Flynn Downes either on loan or permanent as he had spoken to someone within the Downes family,”
“I have since checked this out and there does seem to be credible evidence. This is largely down to their appointment of his former manager at Swansea, Russell Martin. They enjoyed a great relationship and the former Norwich player sees Downes as a great addition to help drive the Saints back to the Premier League."
He then added:
"What makes this move more significant is our interest in James Ward Prowse. The set piece king is high on Moyes’ wish list, as he was last summer, and at the moment we feel their valuation is too high. If Downes could be included in the deal this could help lower the cost.”
Flynn Downes could shine under Russell Martin at Southampton and start their push for promotion back to the Premier League
At just 24-years-old, Downes is a player went plenty of development left to do, but his play under the Saints in Wales certainly gave us a taste of how high his ceiling is.
At the Swansea.com Stadium under the 39-year-old tactician, Downes was an influential member of the engine room – not only did he contribute towards three goals across 37 league appearances but displayed his defensive prowess, with an average of 1.3 tackle and 1.1 interceptions per outing, also providing an impressive 92.6% passing accuracy.
These are heights that he has yet to match at the London Stadium, with minutes hard to come by, though a reunion with his former coach could be exactly what's needed. Southampton will certianly have holes to fill in midfield, so the 24-year-old machine surely makes for a viable and interesting target.
Martin was in awe of the £12m gem's performances at the time, stating:
"I'm running out of superlatives for Flynn.
"He has all the ingredients he needs to play at the very top. He knows how I feel about him and how we feel about him as a coaching staff and what his ceiling can be. I think he can go and play wherever he wants eventually.
"We have a lot of good players, some of them are suited more to the style of play than others. He certainly is that. He's been incredible."
Southampton awarding their manager with a player that he has worked with before and trusts could be the perfect combination to kickstart their promotion push.
If Ward-Prowse does leave the club to move to West Ham, the Saints should be fighting to have Downes included in the deal, given the evidence above. Just imagine him back under Martin as the south coast outfit plot an instant return to the big time in 2023/24.
