Southampton boosted by Ward-Prowse news to despite West Ham and Man City interest

The England midfielder and Saints captain has been linked with a £25million move to the Hammers.

However, talkSPORT's transfer man Alex Crook insists Ward-Prowse will not be going anywhere over the coming months.

The playmaker has also been linked with a move to Manchester City and Manchester United after another fantastic season in the Premier League.

And confirmation of Southampton's intentions to keep their skipper could be seen in their kit launch, which featured the 27-year-old.

Ward-Prowse scored ten goals and provided five assists from midfield last season, which earned him more England call-ups under Gareth Southgate.

He now has 11 caps for the Three Lions and will hope regular game time for Southampton will earn him a spot in England's World Cup squad.

His Southampton teammate Theo Walcott told talkSPORT that there is a lot more to JWP than his trademark set-pieces, and will undoubtedly delighted that he's staying at the club.

"I look at one of my teammates, James Ward-Prowse, for me, not just his free-kicks which everybody needs to come out away from, he can contribute so much more in that team," he said.

"Of course, when you have free-kicks in competitions, it is always fine margins these games come down to.

"I feel as though he could be a big factor, should he play tonight. I also believe he is underrated a little bit to be honest, I really do.

"Because of his free-kicks, it kind of overshadows what he does on the pitch in a consecutive 90 minutes. He play's consistently as well at a high level in the Premier League.

"I have seen it consistently in training. He doesn't overwhelm himself with free-kicks, he only does a few on a Thursday and Friday.

"The way he prepares it is so similar to a match day. His levels are very high."

Southampton finished 15th last season and begin the new campaign with a tough trip to Tottenham on 6 August.