European club in talks to secure blockbuster 8-figure Norwich City transfer agreement | OneFootball

Borja Sainz's future at Norwich City has been the subject of intense speculation

Portuguese giants Porto are confident they can seal the signing of Borja Sainz from Norwich City this summer.

According to Record, the two clubs are currently in negotiations after Athletic Club’s interest in the player ended following a new contract for Nico Williams.

Sainz’s future at Carrow Road has been the subject of intense speculation since the end of the Championship season following his impressive performances for the Canaries across 2024-25.

The winger scored 18 times and notched four assists in the league for Norwich, but a 13th-place finish in the second tier has led to increased speculation over a summer exit.

Borja Sainz transfer latest as FC Porto close in on transfer swoop

According to Portuguese reports, it is believed that a deal worth £13 million, plus add-ons, is currently being discussed between Porto and Norwich for Sainz's services.

It has been claimed that Porto, who finished third in the Primeira Liga last season behind Sporting CP and Benfica, are confident of securing a deal, especially with Athletic Club now out of the running.

The Basque side were considering a move for Sainz as a replacement for Nico Williams, but the forward put pen-to-paper on a new 10-year contract extension to remain with the club.

This has opened the door for Porto, who are now in talks to complete a deal to sign the player after their Club World Cup participation.

Sainz is in the final 12 months of his current Norwich contract, leaving the second division side with little leverage in negotiations.

A departure from Carrow Road is now expected, with the players now back for pre-season for new manager Liam Manning.

Borja Sainz departure was always inevitable due to Norwich City contract situation

Losing Sainz will come as a blow for the Norfolk outfit given his importance to the side last season.

The winger was the team’s top scorer despite being handed a six-game suspension midway through the campaign because of a spitting offence.

Sainz signed for Norwich in the summer of 2023 from Turkish side Giresunspor on a free transfer, agreeing to a three-year deal, but it took him until his second season to really start firing.

The amount of speculation surrounding Sainz meant that a departure was always the most likely outcome this summer, and especially being in the final year of his deal.

City's underwhelming league finish last year won’t have helped the situation, with Johannes Hoff Thorup losing his job after a 13th place finish.

It will be disappointing for Manning to not get the chance to work with Sainz, and he will now want the club to invest the expected £13 million into finding an adequate replacement.