Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse will reportedly leave the club if they are relegated from the Premier League this season.
The 28-year-old midfielder joined the Saints' academy as a six-year-old back in 2003 and has since spent his entire 12-year professional career as a first-team player at St Mary's.
Ward-Prowse has contributed with 53 goals and 51 assists in 399 appearances for Southampton across all competitions, and recently became the club's all-time record appearance-maker in the Premier League (333).
The set-piece specialist, who is closing in on David Beckham's top-flight free-kick record, is under contract at St Mary's until the summer of 2026, but speculation continues to swirl regarding his long-term future.
A recent report claims that Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa are both keeping tabs on Ward-Prowse's situation with the Saints, while the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City were credited with an interest in the midfielder last summer.
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According to Football Insider, Ward-Prowse "will definitely leave" Southampton if they fail to retain their Premier League status this season.
The report adds that Spurs are big admirers of the England international and are keen to lure him to North London ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Tottenham are soon set to embark on an important summer transfer window as they endeavour to keep hold of talisman Harry Kane, while the search for a new head coach could also be on the cards amid uncertainty surrounding the future of Antonio Conte.
Former Saints man Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp, Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur have all featured in centre-midfield for Spurs this season, although the latter is ruled out until the end of this year with a serious knee injury.
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It is thought that the addition on a creative midfielder is high on Tottenham's wishlist, and Ward-Prowse has been identified as one of their main targets ahead of the summer window.
Ward-Prowse is currently Southampton's top scorer in the Premier League with seven strikes, including his latest goal from the penalty spot in a 3-3 draw at home against Tottenham before the international break.
Despite claiming a hard-fought point against their Champions League-chasing opponents, the Saints remain rooted to the foot of the table, two points adrift of safety having played at least a game more than the four teams directly above them.
Ruben Selles's men will return to Premier League action after the international break with a potentially-pivotal encounter away against West Ham United on April 2, before playing host to Man City six days later.
Oliver Thomas
