Report: Southampton reject Villa's £25M offer for Ward-Prowse

Southampton have turned down a £25-million offer from Aston Villa for midfielder James Ward-Prowse, according to David Ornstein, Dan Sheldon, Sam Lee, and Gregg Evans of The Athletic.

The offer was quickly rejected, as Villa's bid was below Southampton's valuation of the 26-year-old, The Athletic adds.

Villa are expected to return with an improved offer, but getting a deal done with the Saints could be difficult. The south-coast club is reluctant to sell Ward-Prowse to a Premier League rival, The Athletic reports.

Ward-Prowse featured prominently in a central midfield role this past season, scoring nine goals and providing seven assists over 44 appearances in all competitions. The set-piece specialist also scored twice from direct free-kicks against Villa last campaign.

Villa have already been busy this summer with the additions of Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City and Ashley Young from Inter Milan. But the club is currently dealing with its own transfer dilemma, as Manchester City reportedly made a £100-million offer to sign captain Jack Grealish.