Norwich City could reignite interest in Cardiff City player to fill Borja Sainz void | OneFootball

The Canaries could consider another approach for Chris Willock to replace Borja Sainz.

Norwich City are expected to undergo some squad changes once the current Championship season comes to an end.

The East Anglian outfit remain in the promotion mix heading into the final part of the campaign but will need to string a strong run of consistent results together to make a late charge for one of the play-off places.

Norwich currently have five players whose contracts expire heading into this summer, while transfer interest is likely to arrive for other senior figures in Johannes Hoff Thorup’s side.

One player who could be set to depart Carrow Road is playmaker Borja Sainz, who has been a star performer in the second tier this season, registering 15 goals so far this term – making him the joint-highest scorer in the division.

The Spaniard has been a livewire and one of the main reasons why Norwich are pushing towards the top end of the table, and he is set to earn a move to a team in a higher division if the club doesn’t make a return to the top-flight.

However, the Canaries may not feel his absence as much as feared if they can finally persuade Chris Willock to join the club, which could be possible after a dismal spell so far at Cardiff City.

Borja Sainz likely to make Norwich City exit

With Borja Sainz impressing on a consistent basis in a Norwich shirt so far this term, the versatile forward has understandably attracted plenty of transfer interest, with Spanish outlet Fichajes reporting La Liga outfit Girona are keeping tabs on the 24-year-old.

Italian giants Napoli also considered a move for Sainz during the late stages of the winter window, according to Relevo, while Radio Popular de Bilbao reported that Atlético Madrid, Athletic Club and Villarreal were all interested in a move for the player back in November 2024.

Galatasaray were also named in the report as another team in the mix, along with some Premier League clubs.

With so many high-profile clubs interested and Sainz’s contract at Carrow Road only lasting until 2026, it feels inevitable that a sale will happen if promotion isn’t secured, with such significant funds being able to be spent on building a more well-rounded squad.

Norwich should move back for Chris Willock after dismal Cardiff spell

If Norwich City don’t end up making it back to the promised land come May, then the sale of Sainz will open up a number of transfer options to pursue.

One player the Canaries were linked with in the past was Chris Willock, who last summer snubbed a move to the club in favour of making the switch to Wales with Cardiff City.

So far this season, Willock has severely underwhelmed, netting only twice from 26 second tier appearances and has been branded a disappointment in the Welsh capital after supporters set high expectations for the 27-year-old.

Norwich could be tempted to open up a pathway for Willock to reverse his transfer mistake and resurrect his career in yellow and green, with boss Johannes Hoff Thorup building up a track record with the recent revival of loanee Lewis Dobbin.

The Aston Villa man had a dreadful first half of the season on loan at West Brom, recording just 325 minutes and failing to return a single attacking contribution.

While the goals haven’t flowed just yet for Dobbin at Norwich, he has got off the mark with two strikes in his first nine matches, securing much more regular minutes and seemingly playing with the confidence and freedom that he didn’t get at The Hawthorns.

Willock’s situation is pretty similar, so he may look at Dobbin’s experience and wish to push a move through to Suffolk in the summer.

If a similar situation could materialise, then Norwich would have a devastating Championship attacker along with a stronger general squad using the Sainz money to make themselves a force in the division.