Norwich City may have already found their Borja Sainz replacement, but there’s a catch

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Liam Manning now faces the first real challenge of his time at Norwich City, with the tall task of replacing Borja Sainz surely now his top priority.

The Spaniard leaves the club this week for Porto in a £14.2m deal, making him one of Norwich City’s most expensive sales of all time.

It’s a pretty good deal for Norwich, considering Sainz made it clear he wanted to leave and had just one year left on his contract.

But, for Manning, the question now is who will replace Sainz. The winger bagged 19 goals last season, and the new Norwich City boss will be desperate to cover that gap as much as possible.

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Norwich City hoping to beat Watford to signing of Pape Diallo

The latest report on those efforts to replace Sainz comes from the Pink’Un, with suggestions that Norwich are cooling their interest in Celtic winger Yang Hyun-Jun in favour of a move for Metz star Pape Diallo.

It was thought that Diallo would be heading to Watford last week, with reports claiming the Senegal star had even completed a medical for the Hornets.

However, things are more complicated than first thought. The problem is Diallo has not yet accrued enough GBE (Governing Body Endorsement) points to be eligible to play in the EFL.

Players from outside the UK must have 15 points, which can be earned through international appearances, playing in Europe’s top leagues, or through participating in continental competitions.

As things stand, Diallo only has six points to his name, as he was playing in Ligue 2 last season, thus leaving his Watford move in doubt.

Norwich are now looking to swoop in and take advantage of this, with the key kicker being that the Canaries can apply for a work permit for Diallo and include him in their squad as one of their Elite Significant Contribution (ESC) places.

That’s something Watford are not currently able to do, due to the number of non-UK players they already have in their squad.

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Tyrhys Dolan is the obvious solution to Borja Sainz void

Despite this increased interest in Pape Diallo, it is odd that Norwich are not pushing ahead with a move for Tyrhys Dolan, who is now a free agent after leaving Blackburn Rovers.

Valerien Ismael offered an insight into Dolan’s situation, suggesting the player’s head had been turned and that he would be departing after turning down Blackburn’s attempts to retain him.

Dolan comes with proven Championship pedigree, something Manning and Norwich need if they are to successfully replace Sainz for the season ahead.

We are led to believe Manning has even spoken to Dolan already about a move, and they could be a match made in heaven if a deal can be struck.