Porto and Napoli bid for Norwich City winger Borja Sainz
Porto and Napoli are the clubs that have submitted formal offers to Norwich City for winger Borja Sainz, but no agreement has been struck yet.
Negotiations are continuing with both clubs, but it’s unlikely that Porto will strike a deal before the deadline of the first transfer window (7pm tonight) to enable Sainz to play in their Club World Cup campaign.
It’s understood that despite strong interest from Spain, City are yet to receive a formal offer from a club in La Liga. Both Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal are thought to be interested in Sainz this summer.
Clubs from Greece and England are also thought to be monitoring Sainz’s situation this summer, with the winger an attractive proposition having entered the final 12 months of his City contract.
City’s sporting director Ben Knapper confirmed the club had received offers for Sainz at Monday’s press conference to unveil new head coach Liam Manning, but insisted any sale would happen on their terms.
“Listen, we’ve had multiple formal offers (for Borja),” said Knapper. “There’s no surprise for a player at that level who performed how he did last season. There’s big interest from particularly a couple of different clubs, but there’s others circling as well. We’ve had formal proposals, but nothing’s quite met our valuation.
“Those discussions are ongoing. Let’s see how they conclude. Of course he’s a player with big interest in the market, but it’s still early, and as I said, it’s got to be right for us. We’ve shown an ability, I think, at this club long before my time, to sell players really well. It’s part of our strategy, and that’ll be no different with Borja.”
New Norwich boss confirms he will rival Stoke City for free agent
Stoke City are in the market for Championship bargains as they plan a first full season under Mark Robins
Liam Manning has confirmed his desire for a reunion with free agent Harry Darling at Norwich City.
Manning, who previously managed centre-half Darling at MK Dons, has gone on the record about his interest in one of the most eye-catching out of contract Championship players this summer.
Stoke City are believed to have him on their list too, as well as Birmingham City and reportedly Wrexham and Sheffield United while Rangers are expected to be frontrunners now they have appointed another of Darling’s old managers, Russell Martin.
Manning, who left Bristol City to become Norwich’s new manager last week, has gone public about his pursuit of Darling at his first press conference.
Asked about transfers, Manning replied: “I don’t want to put a number on that, but I’ve done my best to assess the squad and we know which positions we’re going for. I had a good time with Harry (Darling) a few years ago, I’m sure he’ll have a lot of offers but I think he’d be a great fit.”
Darling has been a virtual ever-present for Swansea over the last three years.
Swansea director of football Richard Montague said last week: “The ball is very much in Harry’s court. We made him what we thought was a very strong offer and I believe what he would think is a very strong offer.
“We are, and have been throughout the whole period, looking at our other options in that position to make sure we are well covered.
“Our job really has been to balance off the chances of Harry signing a contract with other players, trying to match up those timelines to make sure we are not caught short. I don’t think we are going to be caught short is what I would say.”
About The Author
