Norwich City could strike gold with potential £3.5m Liam Manning, Bristol City reunion | OneFootball

Norwich City, Udinese and an unnamed MLS side are interested in Bristol City right-back Ross McCrorie.

Norwich City are interested in Bristol City right-back Ross McCrorie, after the 27-year-old blossomed under new Canaries boss Liam Manning at Ashton Gate.

Italian outfit Udinese and an unnamed MLS club are also interested in McCrorie, as revealed by Herald Scotland.

After arriving from Aberdeen for a reported £2 million in 2023, the Robins are looking for a fee of around £3.5 million from clubs looking to secure his signature this summer.

McCrorie played a huge part in Bristol City's fantastic 4-1 win against Sheffield United in the Robins' opening match of the campaign, scoring and providing an assist from the right-wing-back position.

With McCrorie now established at Championship level, a move to reunite with former Robins boss Liam Manning could bring huge benefits to the Canaries, who are looking to climb back up the standings after a disappointing 13th-place finish in the Championship last term.

Ross McCrorie's Championship journey under Manning

McCrorie made the switch to Ashton Gate from Aberdeen in the summer of 2023, and Manning inherited the full-back as part of his squad when he took over at the club in November of that year.

The 27-year-old made just 12 starts in his debut year at the club, making 19 Championship appearances in total, with injury issues curtailing the entire first half of the season for McCrorie.

Consistent injuries would carry on to be an issue for the right-back in the following 2024/25 campaign. However, he became vital under Manning towards the back end of the season as the Robins charged towards the play-offs.

In 23 appearances last term, McCrorie scored five times in the Championship and started each of Bristol City's last seven league matches, scoring twice on the final day against Preston.

After previously making 18 appearances in the EFL on loan at Portsmouth in League One, McCrorie had finally managed to begin making a name for himself in the second tier under Manning, and this is something that looks likely to continue under Gerhard Struber if he stays at Ashton Gate.

Norwich could strike gold with Manning-McCrorie reunion

Unlike Bristol City, Norwich got off to a disappointing start to the campaign, as they lost 2-1 on home soil against Millwall.

With Manning bedding in his ideas, McCrorie could be a fantastic addition, and it could be hugely beneficial for both parties, with Manning being the coach who oversaw the development of the 27-year-old into a reliable operator at this level.

29-year-old Jack Stacey played 84 minutes in Saturday's defeat, and is the perfect man to operate on a level playing field with McCrorie, particularly if the latter were to suffer with similar injury woes that have been a common theme since he arrived in England.

With 12 Championship assists across his two years as a Canaries player, Stacey is a reliable creator from full-back, and adding more of this with McCrorie would only be a positive, as Norwich look to add further depth that aids the club in climbing back up the standings.

Saturday's loss is not the end of the world for Norwich. They have had a productive transfer window, with signings needing to gel under Manning.

Bringing in a now-proven Championship operator in McCrorie could help this massively, with his existing relationship with Manning being the reason for his uptick in form at Ashton Gate.

He would add both depth and competition, and he would not take long to bed in under Manning.