£8m Celtic deal should be struck if it helps Norwich City keep Leeds United target: View | OneFootball

A new era is underway at Norwich City following the appointment of Johannes Hoff Thorup as the club's head coach.

The Canaries made the decision to sack David Wagner last month after their 4-0 defeat at Leeds United in the play-off semi-final second leg, and Thorup has been chosen as his replacement.

Thorup had been in charge of FC Nordsjaelland since January 2023, and he led them to a fourth-placed finish in the Danish Superliga this season, but they were unable to secure European football.

It could be a busy summer for Thorup after his arrival at Carrow Road, and the 35-year-old has already made his first signing, with defender Jose Cordoba arriving from Bulgarian outfit Levski Sofia.

Norwich City should cash in on Adam Idah this summer as Celtic loom

Thorup faces the prospect of losing a number of his star players this summer, with the likes of Gabriel Sara, Jonathan Rowe and Josh Sargent all likely to attract interest from elsewhere, and he has a big decision to make on the future of striker Adam Idah, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Celtic.

Celtic would like to sign Idah permanently this summer after his successful loan spell, but Norwich are reportedly unwilling to sell him at this point as Thorup is keen to assess him in pre-season.

It is understandable why Thorup wants to run the rule over Idah, but with his fellow striker Sargent also on the radar of other clubs, the Canaries must keep hold of the USA international this summer, even if that means selling Idah.

Idah featured regularly for Norwich in the first half of the season, but most of his minutes came from the bench, and he joined Celtic on loan on the final day of the winter transfer window.

The 23-year-old made a big impact at Celtic Park to help the Hoops retain the Scottish Premiership title, and he also scored a 90th-minute winner in the Scottish Cup final against Rangers last month.

Speaking after the cup victory over their Old Firm rivals, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers revealed he is keen to bring Idah back to the club this summer.

"For me he was the catalyst of our season because we needed a different dimension up front. The big guy comes in, he has so much potential and played in some really important games," Rodgers told the Daily Record.

"What I love about Adam is he is a big game player. He loves the big games and occasions. Hopefully, we can do something. He has a long-term contract at Norwich but he is definitely one I would love to bring back here. At 23 with the potential and quality he has I think he can really push on in his career."

However, the fact that Thorup wants to assess Idah in pre-season is one potential stumbling block for Celtic, and after HITC revealed this week that Norwich value him at £8 million, it remains to be seen whether the Hoops will be able to meet that asking price.

The Canaries are right to demand a big fee for Idah as he is under contract until 2028, but they must be cautious about pricing Celtic out of a move as his sale could help to avoid the need for further high-profile departures.

Keeping Josh Sargent must be Norwich City's priority this summer

Norwich will need to balance the books this summer after missing out on promotion, meaning they are likely to cash in on at least one of their stars, but the one player they cannot afford to lose is Sargent.

Sargent was the Canaries' top scorer this season with 16 goals in 30 games, and that was despite the fact he missed over four months of the campaign with injury, so he could reach even higher numbers next term if he stays fit.

Replacing a prolific goalscorer like Sargent would be near impossible for Thorup, and while Idah could be a potential solution if he remains at the club, he has struggled to deliver when starting for Norwich previously, which is perhaps why Wagner described him as "the most dangerous substitute in the league" in December.

Sargent is reportedly attracting interest from Wolves, Brentford and Leeds (The Sunday Mirror (19/0, p70) this summer, and while the Canaries could be vulnerable to losing him to a Premier League side, it would be unthinkable to sell him to a promotion rival in Leeds.

Crystal Palace are said to be keen on Sara, and Turkish side Trabzonspor have had a bid rejected for Marcelino Nunez, so there are other players Norwich could sell, but they would both be a huge loss.

Idah was not missed in the second half of last season as the Canaries reached the play-offs, and although his performances at Celtic were excellent, his departure could help the club to keep hold of some of their key men.