Explained: Borja Sainz' contract and transfer situation at Norwich City | OneFootball

Football League World looks at Borja Sainz' contract and transfer situation at Norwich ahead of potential January interest

Norwich City will likely be bracing themselves for interest in Borja Sainz in the January transfer window, which commences in just over two months.

Courtesy of astute scouting and a commendable ability to carefully cultivate young talent, the Canaries have established a reputation as a selling club in recent years and that standing is unlikely to shift anytime soon.

Of course, Johannes Hoff Thorup was immediately dealt a hard hand after taking the reins at Carrow Road back in the summer as Gabriel Sara, Jonathan Rowe and Abu Kamara all sought pastures new.

Sara’s exit in particular reminded that, akin to every other Championship club, Norwich are always at risk of losing their prized assets when bigger-sized suitors come calling, and they will surely be fearing a repeat in January, where Sainz may just find himself subjected to interest elsewhere.

Following a reasonably impressive first term at the club after arriving as a free agent from Turkish side Girensunspor last summer, the Spanish winger has exploded into life so far in the 2024/25 campaign.

At the time of writing, Sainz is leading the Championship’s scoring charts with eight strikes on his stat-line after just 11 matches, including a hat-trick to lead Norwich to a 3-2 victory at Derby County in September.

Norwich may just find themselves sweating over his future before long, then, and as such, Football League World takes a look at the current state of play with transfer interest and his contractual situation.

Athletic Bilbao’s transfer interest in Norwich City’s Borja Sainz

At the start of September, it was claimed by Spanish outlet El Correo that Sainz had earned transfer interest from Athletic Bilbao during the summer months.

As per the report, Bilbao sporting director Mikel Gonzalez initiated contact with Sainz’s camp, although Norwich made it clear that he was a key part of the squad under Hoff Throup.

Even more so now, following the departures of Kamara and Rowe and Sainz’s own early-season form, you would imagine.

However, Norwich should perhaps be warned against potentially expecting the reported interest from Sainz’s homeland to cool completely. The report added that Basque-born Sainz is viewed as a possible future target by Bilbao, whom he previously represented as a youth player.

It was reported that the 23-year-old would welcome a move back to Bilbao at the end of the season, and he has a long-standing relationship with Gonzalez, who brought him to Alaves in 2018 as academy manager.

As of yet, no further interest in Sainz from Bilbao or anywhere else has been reported, although it feels increasingly inevitable that his signature will be courted in January and beyond - if Norwich can retain him beyond the winter window, that is.

Borja Sainz’s Norwich City contract situation

Fortunately for Norwich, they are able to adopt a hardball stance without running any real risk of losing Sainz for nothing anytime soon.

As the forward is just one year into the three-year deal he penned in the summer of 2023, they have the license to drive a hard bargain for his services free of repercussions.

Retaining Sainz is a key call of duty for January, and the remaining length on his current contract undoubtedly strengthens those prospects.