Wrexham receive clear £13m transfer message as Norwich striker sits out of FA Cup tie
Wrexham have been urged to make a move for Norwich City star Josh Sargent during the January transfer window. The striker has recently been linked with a switch away from Carrow Road after reportedly making himself unavailable for the Canaries' FA Cup third-round victory over Walsall.
The US international had featured in Norwich's previous three Championship fixtures but was notably absent from the squad that hammered the League Two outfit 5-1 at home on Sunday. MLS outfit Toronto FC are said to have prepared a bid in the region of £13.5m for the 25-year-old, as he seeks to nail down a spot in the US squad for this year's World Cup.
However, former Wales and Canaries striker Iwan Roberts reckons Wrexham might be tempted to try to snap up Sargent as they edge closer to the Championship's play-off positions. Whilst Roberts believes Sargent would be a valuable acquisition for any side, he cautioned there could be complications if the striker isn't given assurances over game time, with Kieffer Moore already spearheading the attack at Wrexham.
Speaking to the
"I always thought he was a good teammate, but maybe I'm questioning that now after how he's dealt with the situation that occurred over the weekend. I still think in this division, it would be a welcome addition to any club."
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He added: "I think that [not starting] would be a big issue for Sargent. He wants to be starting every game from now until the end of the season because of the World Cup in his home country."
Whilst backing the prospect of bringing in Sargent, Roberts also indicated that Wrexham don't particularly need to splash the cash this month. His remarks came as the Red Dragons gear up to welcome Norwich for a league fixture on Saturday.
The BBC pundit said: "I look at the Wrexham squad and I can't see where you can really strengthen. You can never have enough centre-forwards and I totally agree with that, but I look at that squad and it's as strong as any in the division.
"Phil [Parkinson, Wrexham manager] said that he's happy with what he's got and he doesn't expect it to be a busy January. But I think he's also said that if a player that he's always liked becomes available, then he probably would go for it."
Norwich boss Philippe Clement has said the club won't permit Sargent to depart in January. He also made clear that the striker could face disciplinary action following his apparent reluctance to feature last weekend.
He said: "Josh sent me a message [on Saturday] evening saying he would not be available because of transfer things in his head. This is obviously not something we want and will have consequences.
"It is something we need to speak about inside the club, but the club has made it really clear to Josh and his agent that he will not be leaving during this transfer window."
In a separate interview with BBC Radio Norfolk, Clement said: "Josh sent me a text yesterday [Saturday] evening, because he was normally in the selection, that he was not available for this game.
"But I don't want to make too much attention around that because the guys who were here, they deserve the praise for the performance they did, what they are doing during training sessions and in the games they play, so I want to focus on that."
Sargent arrived at Norwich from Werder Bremen in August 2021 and has netted 56 times in 157 outings for the Canaries, including eight goals in 25 appearances this campaign. Norwich have struggled in the Championship so far this term and sit third from bottom ahead of their trip to north Wales.
By contrast, Wrexham occupy ninth spot, just one point adrift of the play-off positions, and are full of confidence following their penalty shootout victory over Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup last Friday.