Gini Wijnaldum will be leaving Liverpool as a free agent in the summer and as per some rumours, Liverpool want James Ward-Prowse to replace him next season.
The 26-year-old has come up through the ranks at Southampton and right now he is the captain of the first-team and one of the most consistent performers under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The central midfielder has played in 37 Premier League games so far this season, scoring eight and assisting seven goals and according to ex-football Paul Stewart, despite being a different type of player than Wijnaldum James Ward-Prowse can surely replace him in the Liverpool line-up next season.
He told Football FanCast: “I think they are two different types of players, but I like Ward-Prowse and I’ve seen his stats that show he covers the second most amount of ground during games, only behind Soucek.
“If you combine that with the ability to put a ball on a sixpence then it makes him a highly sought–after player. So, yeah, I could definitely see him there.”
Rumours surrounding Liverpool’s potential interest have been growing as the 2020-21 season comes to an end and it looks like this news has also reached the ears of Hasenhuttl.
The Saints manager has very quickly come to state how big an asset James Ward-Prowse is to the club and that he will remain with them for a really long time.
The Saints boss told HampshireLive: “He is on the play to being a very important player for Southampton for a very long time.
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“For a player to play every minute this season is unbelievable. His physicality and his performances are outstanding and he is absolutely our captain, a captain on the pitch.”
Last year, James Ward-Prowse signed a new deal that will keep him with the Saints till 2025 so Hasenhuttl is not going to worry at all.
But with Wijnaldum leaving Liverpool have no other option but to bring in a new central midfielder for the upcoming season and the Southampton captain seems to be the perfect fit.
Not only can the 26-year-old replicate Wijnaldum’s energy on the pitch but he is currently valued at around 25 million pounds which is a pretty secure figure for Liverpool given the fact that Wijnaldum will be leaving for free.
