Aston Villa 'to move for Southampton's James Ward-Prowse'

Aston Villa have reportedly set their sights on Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, in a busy window for the West Midlands club.

Ward-Prowse played every minute for Ralph Hasenhuttl's side this season, and showed his technical ability when striking a dead ball having scored four goals from free kicks.

The Claret and Blues have confirmed that they have agreed a club-record deal with Norwich City for Emiliano Buendia, but Dean Smith is keen to bolster his squad further as they aim to build upon their 11th-placed finish.

The Sun reports that Smith wants to improve Villa's goalscoring stats from set pieces, having only scored 11 from corners and free kicks this season.

It is reported that Liverpool are also keen on Ward-Prowse, who missed out on a place in Gareth Southgate's final 26-strong England squad for the Euros this summer.

The 26-year-old is an academy graduate at Southampton and since making his first-term debut in 2011, he has gone on to score 33 goals and provide 40 assists in 322 appearances for the club.