Aston Villa are still looking to sign Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: £25m bid

Villa were first linked with a move for the Saints captain at the beginning of June, a day after they agreed on a club-record deal for Emiliano Buendia. However, rumours of a possible Villa Park switch didn’t exactly gather pace in June and most of July.

David Ornstein of The Athletic revealed on Friday that Southampton have rejected a £25m bid from Villa for Ward-Prowse, but it seems as if they haven’t given up hope of signing the 26-year-old.

The Latest: Sky Sports’ claim

Sky Sports reporters Dharmesh Sheth and Kaveh Solhekol ran through the transfer latest on all 20 Premier League clubs live on air, which was shared on Twitter.

When it came to Villa, Solhekol outlined that Villa are closing in on a £30m deal for Leon Bailey, before revealing that ‘Villa also want’ Ward-Prowse.

The Southampton captain, who Pep Guardiola hailed last season as the "best free-kick taker I have seen in my life", still has four years remaining on his contract at St Mary's.

The Verdict: Cost more than Bailey?

With Villa’s deal for Bailey rumoured to be in the region of £30m, it appears as if any possible move for Ward-Prowse could cost Villa more than that.

Ornstein admitted Southampton would want ‘far more’ than the initial £25m offer, so Villa may well need to make the Englishman their club-record signing, surpassing Buendia’s £34.56m move.

Villa may easily have the funds to spend big on Ward-Prowse over the coming weeks, though, especially with Jack Grealish linked with a £100m move to Manchester City.

In other news: Many AVFC fans are buzzing over Leon Bailey latest.