Spurs hoping to hijack West Ham’s pursuit of Championship star

Tottenham Hotspur continued their pre-season preparations with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday. 

Striker Harry Kane – who has been heavily linked with a move away from North London – scored Spurs’ first four goals against their Ukrainian opponents, before substitute Dane Scarlett netted the fifth in added time.

The Lilywhites face Barcelona on Tuesday in their final friendly before the Premier League season begins, and Ange Postecoglou’s first competitive game in charge of the club will be against fellow London side Brentford.

In the meantime, Spurs are reportedly hoping to hijack West Ham United’s pursuit of a Championship player.

According to The Daily Star, the North London outfit are planning to make a move for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse.

The England international has established himself as one of the best free-kick takers in world football in recent seasons and is said to be a target for the Hammers, but the report claims that Tottenham are now ready to make a move for the player.

Ward-Prowse is said to be a target for Tottenham

Ward-Prowse, 28, has spent his entire professional career at St. Mary’s but has been heavily linked with a move away from the south coast since their relegation at the end of last term.

In total the Englishman has made 410 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, scoring 55 goals and providing 54 assists.

He proved his worth to Southampton on Friday when he set up Che Adams to score a late winner over Sheffield Wednesday in their season opener.

It is claimed that Spurs sent scouts to watch Ward-Prowse on a number of occasions towards the end of last season and, with West Ham having had a bid rejected recently, the Lilywhites are hopeful of hijacking the deal.

Midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is set to join Turkish side Galatasaray, the report claims, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has also been heavily linked with a move to Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

With that in mind, Postecoglou is keen to bolster his options in midfield and believes that Ward-Prowse is the ideal candidate to do so.