Norwich City striker Josh Sargent is attracting the interest from Premier League outfit Brentford as a potential replacement to Ivan Toney, according to journalist Alan Nixon.
The 24-year-old has been in red hot form this season, hitting 11 goals in 15 Championship appearances. After spending much of the first half of the season sidelined with an ankle injury, the American international returned to action in December.
His goals have coincided with the Canaries surge up the table, where he once again hit the winner in a 1-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday afternoon. It was Sargent’s seventh strike in his last eight outings, with the East Anglian-based side now sitting just one point off the play-offs.
Having joined Norwich from Bundesliga giants Werder Bremen in 2021, the attacker struggled with the vigour’s of the Premier League. However, he has found his feet in the second tier, having found the back of the net on 13 occasions last season.
It’s his form during the last few weeks which has caught the eye though, with Nixon claiming that Brentford now see the star as the ideal replacement for talisman Ivan Toney.
https://twitter.com/NorwichCityFC/status/1763988642026910189
The England international is widely expected to depart the Londoners this summer, with a number of top Premier League sides reportedly interested in acquiring his signature. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have been named as potential suitors and manager Thomas Frank admitted last month that the former Peterborough United man is likely to be sold in the summer:
“It’s quite obvious that Ivan Toney will most likely be sold in the summer.
“It can be expensive to sell your best player, but on the other hand, I also know that by the summer, he’ll only have a year left on his contract with us.
“We also know what he’s worth. I don’t think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now. He’s a really good striker who is in his prime footballing age. Personally, as a coach, I would prefer to keep Toney, but one day it could be fun to see him at a top team.”
Toney is expected to generate a fee of around £100 million, but the Bees are reportedly looking at cut-price deals to replace the outgoing striker. It is claimed that they view Sargent as the man who fits that profile, although he did commit his future to Norwich last October by penning a new five-year contract.
David Wagner will be hoping that his star’s head isn’t turned, although they can put an end to the rumours if they can return to the top tier themselves. The manager will be looking to his striker to continue his rich vein of form on Wednesday night when they travel to Middlesbrough.
Writer’s View
It’s not unusual to see the Championship’s top performing stars linked with a move to the Premier League. With Sargent having been one of the standout performers in the division since the turn of the year, so it is no surprise to see these rumours emerge.
The USA international is clearly happy at Carrow Road and would love another crack at the top with his current employers. Norwich have a favourable run of fixtures coming up and the 24-year-old will be hoping that he can inspire his team into the top six in the coming weeks.
Head of Writing
