Norwich City’s 5 biggest sales ft James Maddison – Where are they now? | OneFootball

With Athletic Club interested in Borja Sainz, we have looked at Norwich City's current five biggest sales and where they are now.

Norwich City have been a well-run club for much of the last decade or so, balancing a couple of Championship title wins in the Championship with an ability to sell players for a fairly substantial profit – and it looks as though another player may be boosting the books at Carrow Road.

Fresh reports indicate that Basque giants Athletic Club have entered into negotiations with the Canaries over the signing of star attacker Borja Sainz, following Athletic’s qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

It is likely that any deal for the Spaniard to move to San Mames would take him into the category of one of Norwich’s biggest sales, so, with that in mind, Football League World has looked at the biggest money departures from the Norfolk club and where those players are now…

£33m to Aston Villa

Emi Buendia joined Norwich from Getafe in the summer of 2018 after he had spent the previous season on loan at second-tier outfit Cultural Leonesa in Spain, and he was magnificent during his three-year spell at the club.

Helping them win the Championship title in both 2019 and 2021, winning the EFL Championship Player of the Season and the Norwich City Player of the Season in the latter of those title-winning campaigns, Buendia eventually moved on to Aston Villa for a fee believed to be in the region of an initial £33 million.

He was a key figure for the Villans in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons before injuries prevented him getting any minutes in the 2023/24 season, thus making it a frustrating season for him this year, too.

He was eventually loaned out to then German champions Bayer Leverkusen in January 2025 and did score a couple of goals in 14 matches across all competitions for Xabi Alonso’s side. His future will certainly be in doubt as he returns to Villa Park with the 28-year-old likely keen to add to his one Argentina cap.

2 Ben Godfrey

£20m to Everton

Ben Godfrey joined Norwich from York City in January 2016, having played 15 games for York in League Two that season, and he initially played in the club’s academy setup, making just six appearances across all competitions between his signing and the summer of 2018, spending the 2017/18 season out on loan at Shrewsbury Town.

After an impressive campaign in Shropshire, he eventually broke into the Norwich side and helped them win the 2018/19 second-tier title before making 30 Premier League appearances.

Towards the end of the 2020 summer transfer window, he joined Everton for around £20 million, and initially began his time at Goodison Park well. Godfrey made 31 appearances for the Toffees in the Premier League that season but went on to play just 51 more times in the league across the next three campaigns.

This season saw him move to Atalanta for around £10 million but only make five appearances for the Bergamasci before a move to Norwich’s ‘Old Farm Derby’ rivals Ipswich Town on loan, where he has again struggled for minutes. The 27-year-old will return to Bergamo with three years left on his deal in Italy.

£20m to Leicester City

Having begun his career with hometown club Coventry City, James Maddison signed for Norwich in February 2016 and spent the rest of the campaign back on loan with the Sky Blues in League One.

He joined Aberdeen on loan in August 2016 before returning to the Canaries at the back end of the 2016/17 campaign and eventually began to break into the Norwich setup. In the 2017/18 season, he scored 14 goals and provided eight assists in 44 Championship appearances, earning himself a £20 million move to Leicester City.

Whilst with the Foxes, Maddison helped them become semi-regular challengers for the top four and also won the FA Cup before moving to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of around £40 million in the summer of 2023, following Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League.

The England international has often flattered to deceive at Spurs, albeit his output in terms of numbers remained strong this season as they finished 17th, scoring nine goals in 31 Premier League appearances. His side also won the Europa League against Man United.

£15.3m to Galatasaray

Another gem from abroad, like Buendia and Sainz, that Norwich have brought in over the last few years would be Gabriel Sara, arriving from Sao Paulo in July 2022 for £6 million.

Sara was excellent as a box-to-box midfielder in the two seasons he spent at Carrow Road, helping them finish sixth in the 2023/24 campaign, ending up in both the EFL Championship Team of the season and the PFA Team of the Year for the Championship that season, a year after winning Norwich City’s Player of the Season award in his debut campaign in England.

Sara moved to Turkish giants Galatasaray for £15.3 million last summer and has established himself as a key man for the star-studded Gala, making 45 appearances across all competitions as they defended their Super Lig title.

5 Jamal Lewis

£15m to Newcastle United

Having come through the academy at Norwich, following his move from Luton Town at the age of 16, Lewis made his Canaries debut a couple of years later and established himself as one of the brightest young full-backs in the EFL as they won the league in 2019.

He played 28 games for them in the 2019/20 season before a move to Newcastle United for a fee believed to be in the region of £15 million, but his time at St James’ Park has not gone well.

His contract with the Magpies is up this summer, having spent last season out on loan at Watford before a short stint at Sao Paulo earlier this season, which was heavily affected by injuries.