Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
A busy summer transfer window for Norwich City now has one of their top players heading for the exit door, but there’s no reason to panic for the Canaries.
Just this week, Norwich City welcomed a new signing through the door with Mathias Kvistgaarden arriving in a £6.9m deal that has pleased fans no end.
He joins a list of incomings at Norwich that includes Harry Darling, Jacob Wright, Jakov Medic, and goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic.
However, Liam Manning is now poised to lose Borja Sainz, one of the top performers at Carrow Road last season; and yet Norwich should be celebrating.
- READ MORE: Liam Manning has one clear Norwich City ambition, he’s got to stop three years of frustration
Norwich City bag bumper deal in Borja Sainz to Porto move
It’s been known for a while that Sainz would depart, with a £13m fee for the Spaniard mooted and Porto looking the most likely to land him.
The move has now reached an advanced stage, so much so that Fabrizio Romano has given it his “Here we go” seal of approval. But, the fee Norwich are receiving is slightly higher than anticipated, with a €16.5m (£14.2m) price tag cited.
That makes Sainz one of Norwich’s most expensive sales of all time, and it’s testament to Ben Knapper’s impeccable negotiation skills that this bumper deal has been arranged.
Sainz may have been one of the best players in the Championship last season, bagging 19 goals. But, it’s worth noting his form did take a dip in the backend of the campaign, and he also missed five games through suspension for an incident in which he spat at Sunderland’s Chris Mepham.
This is also a player who has made it abundantly clear he wants to leave and who is in the final year of his contract. In an ideal world, Sainz would be bringing in at least £20m, but given the circumstances, Norwich have squeezed every penny out of Porto they possibly can.
Ben Knapper’s transfer history is impressive
Ben Knapper took over as sporting director from Stuart Webber in November 2023, arriving from Arsenal. While he’s not got every decision right during his time in Norfolk, there’s no denying he has served Norwich exceptionally well when it comes to arranging transfers out of the club.
Last summer, the sale of Gabriel Sara to Galatasaray was praised, with Knapper managing to negotiate a deal that could end up being worth around £22.5m once add-ons and bonuses are paid.
The Canaries also let Jonathan Rowe depart for Marseille, but much like Sainz, they were able to get a brilliant deal for a player who wanted out. Knapper secured a £14m initial fee with a further £3m in add-ons plus a 25% sell-on clause.
In particular, the deal to sell Adam Idah to Celtic was seen as a real masterstroke by Knapper. A £9.5m fee was arranged for the striker, with a 15% sell-on clause, despite his struggles at Carrow Road. He only scored 17 goals in 116 appearances for the Canaries.