West Ham are confident James Ward-Prowse wants to join them this summer, talkSPORT understands.
The Hammers are keen on signing the Southampton captain and had a £20million bid rejected last week.
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But they are prepared to return with another offer and are confident a deal can be struck – though they have set themselves a limit.
It is also understood that while a £20m bid was turned down, West Ham will not go above £25m for the midfielder.
It’s understood Saints, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, value their player at £40m.
Ward-Prowse does not have a relegation release clause in his contract and Southampton do not want to let him go cheaply.
The England international has been key to the south-coast club, who came up through their academy.
And he was one of their stellar performers last season despite the St. Mary’s outfit going down after a tough year.
Ward-Prowse is renowned for his leadership skills, something that David Moyes is keen to bring in following the departure of Declan Rice.
But his brilliance at set-pieces is also seen as a big plus at the London Stadium, something the club have utilised well in terms of tactics.
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West Ham are yet to sign a player in the transfer market this summer while some fans are growing concerned.
Moyes has been keen to utilise the funds made by the sale of Rice, who joined Arsenal for £105m earlier in the window.
And the Scotsman wants to bring in a couple of reinforcements rather than splash all his cash in one go.
But he has found trying to buy players difficult with clubs demanding more than what was offered, keen on taking a slice of the Rice pie.
As well as Ward-Prowse, West Ham have also been strongly linked with Conor Gallagher of Chelsea.
The Blues are happy to sell as long as their £50m valuation is met, something the Hammers are yet to come close to.
West Ham offered £40m, which was rejected, while Tottenham are also interested in the 23-year-old.
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