Norwich City must hold strong £20m stance as Brentford eye Josh Sargent: View | OneFootball

Norwich City might be in for a tricky summer as striker Josh Sargent begins to gain transfer interest from the Premier League.

The Canaries themselves are hoping to be a Premier League team once again at the end of this season as they continue their fight to get into the play-off places.

Norwich are just outside the top six by a single point, and with plenty of games still left to play, it is very much a real possibility.

Sargent is one player who will be key as to whether the club gets there or not, as he’s once again been prolific in front of goal in the second tier, despite missing a chunk of games through injury.

The American’s form for the Canaries hasn’t gone unnoticed, with reports emerging that Premier League side Brentford are keen on his signature in the summer.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Brentford are keeping an eye on Norwich City’s Josh Sargent.

The interest comes as the Premier League side is likely to be in the market for a striker, as Ivan Toney looks set to leave in the next transfer window.

That means Brentford will be light in attack, and according to Nixon, the club are keeping tabs on Sargent as a possible replacement.

The 24-year-old has been with the Norfolk side since the summer of 2021, joining from German side Werder Bremen.

It’s been a mixed bag for the striker since joining the English side, but this season he has been in tremendous form.

So, with this interest from Brentford emerging, Norwich will be pleased that their negotiating position is in a strong place, as the forward signed a new five-year contract earlier this season, meaning it now runs until the summer of 2028.

Norwich must stand firm when it comes to Josh Sargent and Brentford

Norwich agreeing to a new contract with Josh Sargent earlier this season looks to be very good business for the club; not only did they tie him down to a new deal, but it gave the club a very good stance when it comes to possible interest.

The Canaries are in no rush to sell and don’t need to sell, as Sargent still has four years left to run on his contract after this season.

Therefore, if Brentford are wanting to sign the USA international, they are going to need to pay a decent fee, and even more so, if they sell Toney for a rather large fee.

As mentioned, Sargent has had a mixed time at Carrow Road, as his first season at the club saw him score just two goals, while last season he managed 13 in 40 games, but this season he is on course to beat that as he’s got 11 goals in 15 league appearances.

Sargent made an excellent start to this season, but an injury against Huddersfield Town in August put his campaign on hold, as he missed a chunk of the season. However, as shown by the stats above, that hasn’t stopped him from being a top performer for Norwich.

The 24-year-old is performing ever so well this season, with him performing better than his xG, which stands at 7.38, while the forward is also averaging a goal every 89 minutes of football, as per SofaScore.com.

Furthermore, Sargent is proving to be a handful in front of goal, as he’s averaging 2.4 shots per game, with over half of them being on target per game as well.

The USA international has really hit some impressive form this season, with him more or less averaging a goal every game he has played in the league.

So, it is no surprise to see that form is gaining interest from elsewhere, but Norwich need to remain strong, and with a new contract just being agreed, they need to make it clear that they won’t consider anything less than £20 million, which seems like a fair value for a player bang in form and finding his feet in a Norwich shirt.

The Canaries will be concerned about Sargent’s interest in joining Brentford, but the striker needs to understand that his current club are the ones who hold the power, as he’s committed to them, and that means until their price is met, he needs to know he remains a Norwich City player.