Nottingham Forest in direct talks to land top West Ham star but Fulham, Southampton lurking

Premier League trio Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Southampton are all fighting to bring in a top West Ham star on deadline day, sources have told TEAMtalk.

England midfielder James Ward-Prowse is the player in question, with the Hammers star poised to move before the end of the day after failing out of favour with new London Stadium boss Julen Lopetegui.

This time last year Forest had just added their seventh new signing when they splashed £30 million on Ibrahim Sangare, having brought in a remarkable 21 new players the summer before after winning promotion back to the Premier League.

Things have certainly been a lot less frenetic this summer under Nuno Espirito Santo, with the likes of Elliot Anderson, Nikola Milenkovic, Ramon Sosa David Carmo walking through the door.

DON’T MISS – Deadline day live club-by-club guide: Follow all the latest transfer updates

Striker Omar Marmoush is also in the sights of the City Grund outfit, with Nuno also wanting a goalkeeper in as well as a new midfielder – and that’s where Ward-Prowse fits the bill.

The 29-year-old’s two appearances this season have both come off the bench, with Lopetegui preferring other options in midfield to the set-piece specialist. Indeed, he has featured for just 16 minutes in the Premier League so far.

However, Forest are not alone in their efforts to sign Ward-Prowse, despite seemingly having march on the rivals after opening dialogue with West Ham.

Prem duo could rival Forest for Ward-Prowse

Both Fulham and the midfielder’s former club Southampton are monitoring the situation.

Ward-Prowse made over 400 appearances for Southampton before quitting St Mary’s for the London Stadium last summer after their relegation. He is also a deadly set-piece specialist who is only two free-kicks away from breaking David Beckham’s record in the Premier League.

The 29-year-old enjoyed a solid first season at in the capital, scoring seven goals and claiming 11 assists for the Hammers as they missed out on Europe.

However, if he may be let go as Lopetegui looks to put his own stamp on the West Ham squad and the players could fall right into Fulham’s hands.

READ MORE – All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the summer 2024 transfer window

One stumbling block, however, could be his wages, with Ward-Prowse currently earning £115,000-a-week and if they let him go on loan they will want a large chunk of that paying.

But for now, the clock is very much ticking to get a deal done.