SAINTS have reportedly named £50million as their price for club captain James Ward-Prowse, amid Aston Villa interest. 

The south-coast side rejected a £25m bid from Dean Smith's Premier League outfit earlier in the window, and want double that to make a deal happen.

That's according to a report by The Athletic, which suggests Saints will want a fee akin to around half of what they recieved for Jack Grealish, and Villa are not meeting that valuation as it stands.

The skipper, 26, only signed a new five-year contract just last summer, and was instrumental throughout the 2020-21 campaign - netting eight league goals and registering eight assists.

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Ward-Prowse is an England international and Saints' sole set-piece taker. He missed a lot of pre-season through injury but still returned to play 90 minutes in the defeat to Everton, and continue his run of not missing a moment in two seasons. 

Daily Echo: James Ward-Prowse has been ever-present for Saints for over two yearsJames Ward-Prowse has been ever-present for Saints for over two years

Villa recieved £100m for talisman Grealish from his Manchester City move, and likely would not want to part with half of that on one player.

However, if the report is to be believed, Ward-Prowse could still harbour a fee that the club would accept, despite CEO Martin Semmens categorically ruling out a move for him this summer. 

Semmens has been clear about refuting any rumour linking Ward-Prowse to a move away from Saints. When asked if he could leave on BBC Radio Solent a week ago, he simply and firmly replied: "No."