West Ham have ended their interest in Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse due to the price the Championship side are asking for their captain.
The Hammers had a £20m bid for the 28-year-old rejected earlier this summer and had been expected to return with a higher bid.
But the club will now focus their attentions elsewhere as they look to add to their ranks to fill the void created by the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105m last month.
West Ham’s latest transfer headache comes after they saw a £40m bid for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher rejected.