Football transfer rumours: Wolves want Ward-Prowse? Havertz to Real?

W ell hello there, just-relegated clubs. Yes, this a very tricky time for you isn’t it? OK, so while you’re getting rid of all those people on minimum wage who’ve worked for the club since they were four, we’ll just be over here signing some of those players you won’t need down in the Championship.

It’s bone-picking season, ladies and gents. And while Leeds and Leicester are doubtless still trying to work out quite what happened last weekend, Southampton have had a little longer to accept their lot and start dusting off maps charting the route to Preston. They’ve also had time to look around the squad and realise: “Yeah, he’s not staying.”

Clearest case of the too-good-to-go-downs at St Mary’s: James Ward-Prowse, who has emerged as an early summer target for Julen Lopetegui at Wolves. The midfielder scored a quarter of his side’s 36 league goals last season and his dead-ball adeptness could prove useful to a host of clubs. Gabby Agbonlahor reckons Tottenham should go in for him, but at the last time of checking he wasn’t their director of football, so he possibly doesn’t get a say.

Spurs have allegedly shown more concrete interest in Leicester’s James Maddison, whose future already has a summer saga-like air – Daniel Levy may find that Newcastle and most other top-tier clubs whose names start with the letters A-W will also be in the mix for the midfielder.

Crysencio Summerville mainly got Leeds fans out of their seats for a 20-day period straddling last October and November, which was when all of his four league goals came, including notable late winners against Liverpool and Bournemouth. He’s remained on the Cherries’ radar, who have joined Crystal Palace in showing interest in signing the 21-year-old Dutch forward.

K