Fresh update emerges in Norwich City transfer pursuit of Man City defender | OneFootball

The Canaries are said to be close to a deal for the promotion-winner.

Norwich City target Callum Doyle is set to go with Man City on their pre-season tour of the United States before heading to join the Norfolk outfit on loan.

BBC reporter Nick Mashiter has reported that the defender will go with Pep Guardiola's side to the States. He had previously stated that the Citizens were willing to let him join Johannes Hoff Thorup's side on a season-long loan, after local reports linked Norwich with Doyle.

They are in desperate need of somebody who can play his position - left-back and/or centre-back - after they released their three natural left-sided defensive options - Ben Gibson, Dimitrios Giannoulis and Sam McCallum - after the end of the previous campaign.

Doyle naturally plays down the middle of the backline, but was used on the left by Enzo Maresca during his loan spell with Leicester City as an inverted full-back. He won promotion with the Foxes last season, taking the Championship crown under the now Chelsea boss' guidance, although spent time on the sidelines with a knee problem.

Previously, the defender won promotion from League One to the second tier with Sunderland, where, as an inexperienced teenager, he played a key role in their success.

Norwich City set to be delayed in Callum Doyle, Man City transfer agreement

The 20-year-old won't be expected to be in Norfolk until after the August 3, as that is when Man City's final pre-season game in America is.

Mashiter has said that Doyle will be with the rest of his teammates for the US tour, which will see his parent side take on Barcelona, AC Milan, Celtic and Chelsea.

Their first of those games, against the Scottish champions, takes place on 23rd July.

Although this may unnerve some of the City faithful, this type of procedure is pretty normal for Premier League loan moves.

The parent clubs want to get a feel for the squad that they have to work with for the upcoming campaign and, even though Doyle would have nearly no chance of being a contributor for Guardiola, they don't want to leave themselves short by loaning someone out and then having some sort of injury crisis that said loanee could help with.

Callum Doyle would be a perfect signing for Norwich City ahead of 2024-25

For someone of his age, it's amazing how much first-team experience Doyle has.

Not only have these loan spells provided him with plenty of experience, but he's also emerged as a shining light in all of these moves. His regular involvement with all three clubs that he's been with (Sunderland, Coventry City and Leicester) speaks to that.

In his 113 EFL appearances, the 20-year-old has achieved promotion twice - winning the Championship with Leicester and via the League One play-offs with Sunderland, and he has reached a second tier play-off final with Coventry City too.

So, on top of the number of games that he has played, almost all of his experience has come while playing for teams near the top end of their division, which is exactly where Norwich want to be.

The one threat that they may face might not actually come this summer. If a deal is struck, Man City could include an option to recall him in January as part of it. There's every chance that teams at the lower end of the Premier League table would want Doyle in the winter if he was available.

But that shouldn't put Norwich off of Doyle - he's a fantastic option for them, and one that they must push to get.