Aston Villa leading Crystal Palace in Norwich City transfer race | OneFootball

Highlights

Aston Villa have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Norwich City talent Jonathan Rowe after his outstanding start to the season.

Who is Jonathan Rowe?

The 20-year-old made his debut for the Canaries in 2021, so he has been highly-rated for some time.

However, it’s only really this season where the player has established himself as a regular, with Rowe enjoying a brilliant start to the campaign.

Capable of playing in different attacking positions, he has made himself a key player for David Wagner’s side, and has scored six goals in 11 Championship games, as well as impressing with his pace and dribbling ability.

Such form has seen Rowe rewarded with an international call-up, and he scored for the young Three Lions’ side as they hammered Serbia over the break.

Therefore, it’s perhaps no surprise that the youngster is attracting Premier League attention, with recent reports stating that the likes of Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Brentford, Burnley and Crystal Palace were all keeping tabs on Rowe.

Aston Villa leading race for Jonathan Rowe

But, in a fresh update, Football Insider has revealed that it’s Villa who are pushing the hardest to sign Rowe in the ‘coming windows’.

The Midlands outfit would be an exciting option for Rowe, as they have made serious improvements under Unai Emery, which includes playing European football this season.

If Villa can repeat that next season, it would give the boss a chance to give younger players some minutes, with Emery having used fringe players in some of the European Conference League fixtures in recent weeks.

Will Norwich sell Jonathan Rowe?

Of course, Norwich won’t want to lose Rowe, and in an ideal world they would build their future around the talented academy product.

But, the situation is complicated by the contract the attacker is under, as Rowe has a deal that expires in 2025, so Norwich are reaching a critical stage where they may need to cash in if fresh terms aren’t agreed.

With that in mind, a sale may be necessary in January, or, more likely, next summer, where they can get a price that reflects the true value and potential of Rowe.

There will be debates about how much that should be, but it’s clear the Yellows will demand a significant sum for Rowe, and the level of interest in the player will help raise the price.

What next for Norwich and Jonathan Rowe?

Obviously, the January window is still a long way away in football terms, so Rowe won’t be getting distracted by this talk, and he will be enjoying how this season has gone for him in the opening weeks.

So, his only focus will be on staying in the Norwich team to continue to perform, and to continue to get goals as the Canaries look to push for a top six finish.

He will also recognise how important playing game time is for his development, so you can’t imagine he will be in any rush to leave Carrow Road, especially mid-season.

Ultimately, we will wait to see how this plays out, but it seems inevitable that Rowe will get his move to the top-flight at some point if he keeps progressing and fulfilling that potential.