A key part of selling players is timing. Norwich City know now is the moment to take advantage of Borja Sainz’s stellar Championship campaign amid strong interest from elsewhere.
There is the well-documented contractual situation, with Sainz entering the final 12 months of his contract at Carrow Road, but there are also strong footballing reasons as to why this summer represents the window of maximum opportunity.
Come January, if he remained at City, overseas clubs would be free to discuss a pre-contractual agreement with Sainz, and Norwich would be powerless to recoup any transfer fee.
That is evidently the biggest factor driving the willingness on all sides for Sainz to find himself a fresh challenge this summer. Every passing month without a sale would chip away at that final number.
Norwich did reach out to Sainz’s representatives over the course of the last year in an attempt to discuss a potential new deal, but those conversations weren’t fruitful. The winger’s form meant any long-term commitment could hamper his prospects of a move this summer.
Whilst City won’t receive the level of fee that Josh Sargent could command, there is a level of calm about the financials involved.
After all, City signed Sainz on a free transfer from Turkish side Giresunspor via a clause in his contract following their relegation from the Super Lig. It was an intelligent piece of recruitment that was perhaps at odds with their wider strategy in the summer of 2023, which centred around buying older and more experienced players on bigger contracts.
Anything from here would represent significant profit. It is a similar situation as City found themselves in last summer with Jonathan Rowe, when they were able to extract a fee of £14m to take him to Marseille in the form of a loan with an obligation to buy.
Jonathan Rowe departed the club to join Marseille last summer.Jonathan Rowe departed the club to join Marseille last summer. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) The key difference is that Rowe had an extra year’s option that offered Norwich a touch more security in any negotiations. That isn’t the case with Sainz this time around.
There are also football reasons. This is statistically the best campaign of Sainz’s career.
It is the first time he has surpassed double figures in any of his six campaigns in professional football, although he did hit 10 for Giresunspor in his final year, including a strike in the Turkish Cup.
Beyond those campaigns, Sainz’s highest goal return is six during his first year at Carrow Road. It is a level of goal-scoring that hasn’t been consistent, albeit during the early stages of his career.
It is also the manner in which he scored them – 15 of which came during an incredible burst of form between August and November last season. Four of his 18 strikes in total came from outside the box.
Sainz was one of the few players who thrived in Thorup’s system and amassed 118 shots on goal, with 50 on target. No player hit the target a greater number of times than City’s number seven.
But there was a drop off in both form and output alongside a very high-profile disciplinary incident that Sainz has tried to learn from.
That doesn’t remove the gloss from an outstanding campaign, but it does help bring into focus that the timing is now right for a deal to be struck that will see him depart Carrow Road this summer.
This level of form or output may not happen again. Both sides know it is the point of maximum value for Sainz, but also likely to attract a number of high-level opportunities as a result.
Borja Sainz scored goals for fun during the first portion of the Championship campaign.Borja Sainz scored goals for fun during the first portion of the Championship campaign. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Napoli and Porto are the first clubs to make moves for Sainz – but the expectation is that others will be joining them in short order.
Athletic Bilbao’s interest is public knowledge, and Sainz has family connections to the club with his uncle representing Los Leones for 11 years. The City winger also fits their unique transfer policy of only signing players born in the Basque region.
They aren’t the only sharks circling from Spain. Villarreal are long-term admirers of Sainz, and others in La Liga are thought to be weighing up potential moves of their own. Greece and Turkey represent other potential destinations with English clubs also monitoring his situation, but at this stage, a domestic move feels unlikely but not impossible.
Reaching the numbers required to make a deal happen is one thing, but there is structure, instalments and add-ons to factor in that prolong the process.
That level of interest and bids is only a positive thing for City this summer. They know it is now or never in terms of making profit on the winger. Given his circumstances, any auction that can be created only serves to drive up the fee further.
The more clubs at the table, the stronger City can be in holding firm on their asking price. Considering the lack of cards they hold, the fact that multiple bids have come in at this stage is beneficial to their cause.
Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent are two of Norwich City’s key assets this summer.Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent are two of Norwich City’s key assets this summer. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd) Sainz and his representatives are doing a good job of creating a queue of suitors this summer, with City’s blessing.
It remains to be seen what his preference is, but it feels likely to be a return to Spain and La Liga after making 40 appearances at the level previously for Alaves. Bilbao would help elevate his profile further in his pursuit of achieving his dream of representing his country.
All parties feel aligned towards working for an exit. For contractual and footballing reasons, City would be content to sanction it, provided the numbers hit the right level. Until that point, there will be more clubs and speculation thrown into the mix.
Unlike the various sagas last summer, this does feel more amicable. There is a recognition that Sainz has helped Norwich, whilst the player has benefited from the exposure provided by a Championship platform after his spell in Turkey.
Sometimes a window of maximum opportunity opens up for both player and club – that feels like here and now for Sainz and Norwich.