Newcastle are the favourites to sign Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, according to Fichajes.net.

The Spanish rumour mongers claim that the midfielder is a summer target for the Magpies, but Eddie Howe’s side will have to fight off the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham to secure the player’s services.

Ward-Prowse scored his seventeenth free-kick in the Premier League during the 1-0 win over Chelsea at the weekend, which means he is closing in on the competition record.

That has led to Fichajes to label the 28-year-old the “new David Beckham”, who currently holds the accolade for the most free-kick goals.

With Southampton currently rooted to the bottom of the table, there is a decent chance that Ward-Prowse will be sold at the end of the season, and he could even be available for a reasonable price too. We shall see how this transfer story develops in the coming months.