West Ham 'reach agreement' to loan James Ward-Prowse to Premier League rivals

James Ward-Prowse is expected to leave West Ham United and join Nottingham Forest on loan for the rest of the season, according to reports.

Ward-Prowse, who joined the club from Southampton last summer, has so far played just 16 minutes under new boss Julen Lopetegui this term, featuring in his side's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on the opening weekend.

As per The Athletic, the midfielder will undergo a medical before making a straight loan move without a purchase clause to the City Ground.

If he joins Forest before the deadline, he will become the club's tenth signing of the window after welcoming other talent in midfield such as Elliot Anderson and Marko Stamenic.

Meanwhile, the Hammers have strengthened their midfield already this summer with the addition of Guido Rodriguez, while they are close to finalising an initial loan move for Paris Saint-Germain's Carlos Soler.

West Ham have so far seen mixed results in the 2024/25 season, losing to Villa before beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on Saturday. They continued their Carabao Cup run after defeating Bournemouth 1-0 on Wednesday thanks to a late goal from Jarrod Bowen - Forest bowed out to Newcastle United following a thrilling penalty shootout.

Lopetegui's men are set to face title holders Manchester City on Saturday before heading into to the first international break of the season. Forest end August at home to Wolves.

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