Recent news has suggested that Serie A giants Napoli had a strong interest in Norwich City FC forward Borja Sainz during the recent January transfer window and may look to rekindle their interest in the upcoming summer window.
Sainz has been in incredible form for The Canaries this season and with the last 12 months of his contract nearing, it is unsurprising that news of this interest has come out.
According to reports, Sainz was viewed as a replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who left Napoli for PSG after 107 appearances for the Italian side.
Sainz and Norwich’s Form This Season
This season, Sainz has seen the best form of his career to date with the 24-year-old netting 15 league goals and providing three assists in 28 appearances which is currently enough for the top scorer position in the EFL Championship. This is a huge step up from his previous campaign in which he scored just eight goals in 39 games and so with nine matches to spare, he has doubled his previous tally.
Despite his emphatic form, his side only find themselves 12th in the table. A far cry from where Canaries fans might expect given they have the league’s top goal scorer.
However, with just four points separating them from 6th placed West Bromwich Albion, the fight for the promised land of the Premier League is still very much on for Johannes Thorup’s side. Thorup will no doubt have been pleased to keep hold of Sainz amid the interest faced for the Spanish winger.
The Winter Window
Napoli, who could not secure Sainz’s signature, instead opted for Swiss international Noah Okafor who arrived on loan with an option to buy from fellow Serie A side AC Milan. In recent times, Napoli have made several delves into the English market with Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay and Phillip Billing all having made recent moves to the side after careers in the Premier League and Championship respectively.
Ahead of their winter window, the majority owner of Norwich, Mark Attanasio, came out publicly to state his intentions regarding the future of Sainz.
“We don’t need to sell Borja in January. Frankly, we don’t need to sell them ever,”
“We can control what we can control, in regards to what happens to our players.
“It’s just at some point there’s an element of fairness, if I understand the ecosystem, where if you’re getting offered a very fair price, and it doesn’t have to be an extreme price, and it’s something that someone wants to do then you have to look at it.”
Where Does Sainz’s Future Lie?
This is unlikely to be the end of the interest that Norwich will face for their young attacker though. His current deal is set to expire in June 2026.
Napoli are far from the only team reportedly keen on the winger. Athletic Bilbao were reportedly the first to make contact with Borja’s team but Atletico Marid, Girona, Villareal, and Galatasaray have also all been linked with a move for Sainz.
With all this in mind, it looks like this season could well be Sainz’s last with the Canaries. Should Norwich manage to earn a spot back in the Premier League for the first time since 2022, this may change but that is less than certain currently.
The best course of action for Norwich may be to sell in the summer to secure some cash for Sainz. Should they fail to do this, much like how they brought him in on a free transfer, he may leave on a free transfer and become a free agent for any club to sign and their shrewd business may reap no profits for majority owner Mark Attansio.
Whatever will come to pass is yet to be seen. However, it seems more likely than not that this season will be Borja’s last with Norwich and that his future in football lies elsewhere.