Gabriel Sara out: 2 deals Norwich City can be expected to make before the EFL kick-off on August 9th | OneFootball

We looked at two transfer deals likely to be completed at Norwich City before the start of the new season.

Highlights

A new era is underway at Norwich City following the appointment of Johannes Hoff Thorup as the club's head coach.

The Canaries finished sixth in the Championship last season, but they missed out on promotion as they were beaten 4-0 at Leeds United in their play-off semi-final second leg.

Head coach David Wagner was sacked following the comprehensive play-off defeat, and Thorup has been appointed as his replacement.

Thorup had been in charge of FC Nordsjaelland since January 2023, and he led them to a fourth-placed finish in the Danish Superliga last season, but they were unable to secure European football.

The 35-year-old has made one new signing so far this summer, with defender Jose Cordoba joining the club from Levski Sofia, and there could be plenty more new arrivals to come before the end of the transfer window.

There have also been a number of departures at Carrow Road, with Jon McCracken, Ben Gibson, Danny Batth, Dimitris Giannoulis and Sam McCallum leaving the club at the end of their contracts, while Vicente Reyes has joined Cambridge United on loan, and Christos Tzolis has completed a permanent move to Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Norwich get their season underway when they make the trip to face newly-promoted Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday 10th August, and we looked at two transfer deals that could happen at the club before the start of the campaign.

In: Callum Doyle

Following the departures of Gibson and Batth, Norwich are in need of new centre-backs this summer, and according to the Pink Un, the Canaries are interested in signing Manchester City defender Callum Doyle on loan.

Doyle spent last season on loan at Leicester City, making 23 appearances in all competitions as the Foxes won the Championship title, but he struggled for minutes in the second half of the campaign.

While Doyle may have been disappointed with his lack of game time at the King Power Stadium, he certainly showed what he is capable of in the second tier during his temporary stint at Coventry City, where he made 46 appearances to help the Sky Blues reach the play-off final in the 2022-23 season.

Doyle is unlikely to be part of Pep Guardiola's plans at the Etihad Stadium next season, so another loan to the Championship looks likely to be on the cards for the 20-year-old, and he will be keen to get his future sorted as soon as possible.

With the Canaries expected to be among the promotion contenders next term, Carrow Road could be the perfect destination for Doyle, and he would be a much-needed younger option to complement the likes of Grant Hanley and Shane Duffy.

One player that Norwich will be desperately hoping to keep hold of this summer is midfielder Gabriel Sara, but it could be tough for them to retain the Brazilian.

Sara was one of the standout players in the Championship last season, scoring 14 goals and providing 13 assists in 53 appearances in all competitions.

The 25-year-old's performances have not gone unnoticed, and he is reportedly attracting interest from Italian outfit Roma, while Premier League side Crystal Palace are also said to be keen.

It has been claimed that the Canaries will not sell Sara for less than €20 million this summer, and while that valuation may be a stumbling block for some of his suitors, there will surely be clubs willing to meet that asking price.

Thorup would love to have Sara at his disposal in the early weeks of the season, but Norwich will want to avoid any disruption late in the window and give their new head coach time to reinvest the money in his squad, so they may look to secure a sale before the start of the campaign.