Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit reacts to Josh Sargent £21m Norwich City transfer U-turn | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie has given his verdict on whether striker Josh Sargent will leave Norwich City this summer.

Lee Hendrie admits he still expects Norwich City striker Josh Sargent to leave the club this summer despite the collapse of his proposed move to Wolfsburg.

Sargent joined Norwich from German side Werder Bremen for a fee of £8 million in the summer of 2021, and after a slow start to life at Carrow Road in the Premier League, he has hit double figures for goals in each of the last three seasons in the Championship.

Despite missing almost three months of the campaign with a groin injury, Sargent enjoyed another prolific season last term, but after the Canaries failed to secure promotion, they could be vulnerable to losing him this summer.

It was reported last Friday that Norwich were close to agreeing a deal worth £21 million with Wolfsburg for Sargent, but the move fell through this week as the US international decided that he did not want to return to the Bundesliga.

However, while that could be a boost to the Canaries' hopes of retaining Sargent, who is under contract in Norfolk until the summer of 2028, there is still believed to be plenty of interest in the 25-year-old from elsewhere, with newly-promoted Premier League duo Leeds United and Burnley and clubs from Italy thought to be among his suitors.

Lee Hendrie predicts Norwich City, Josh Sargent disappointment despite Wolfsburg developments

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Hendrie admitted that the collapse of Sargent's move to Wolfsburg does increase the chances of him remaining at Norwich, but he predicted the striker will still depart Carrow Road before the end of the transfer window.

"I was talking about Josh Sargent recently to someone, and you can understand why lots of clubs are sniffing around him, with Wolfsburg being one of them," Hendrie said.

"It does seem like it's ongoing, as a lot of these transfers are. It's often a case of dotting the I's and crossing the T's with things like this, but you do feel that the longer it goes on, the potential of him staying at Norwich gets even higher.

"I still feel that he might make a move somewhere, I really do. He's got a bit of everything in his game, and he's proven that he can contribute goals, which is important.

"For me, I think he will move from Norwich.

"There's been so much hype and talk about him leaving the football club, which would be disappointing for Norwich fans, but I do feel that this deal will eventually get done."

Norwich City must be braced for further Josh Sargent transfer interest

Norwich have already lost one key player this summer, with last season's 19-goal top scorer Borja Sainz joining Porto for £14.25 million earlier this month, so they will be reluctant to lose another of their stars in Sargent.

Head coach Liam Manning has praised Sargent's attitude amid the ongoing speculation over his future, and he even handed him the captain's armband for the friendly against Zulte Waregem last weekend, but with strong interest in the striker from clubs from across Europe, it is difficult to disagree with Hendrie that his departure is still the most likely outcome this summer.

Of course, it would be incredibly difficult for the Canaries to replace Sargent's goals if he was to move on, but they have signed Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden for a fee of £6.9 million, so they may already have his successor in the building.