“If they offered £20 million” – Norwich City: Josh Sargent factor mentioned in Ante Crnac exit debate.

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features personal perspectives from our FLW Fan Pundits on the most recent breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings, and more…

As Norwich City continue their search for a new manager, Carrow Road could see a lot of change this summer.

After missing out on the play-offs, Norwich parted ways with head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup. Jack Wilshere, who impressed during his interim spell, will not be given the permanent job and is expected to leave the club.

Canaries sporting director Ben Knapper has confirmed that the search for Thorup’s replacement will be “focused externally,” and whoever takes over at the club may have to deal with the departure of some key players, including Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent, who scored 19 and 15 goals respectively this season.

According to Sky Germany, Borussia Dortmund is interested in forward Ante Crnac as a backup to star striker Serhou Guirassy, making it possible for Norwich to lose more than just Sainz and Sargent.

Norwich paid a reported fee of £8.5 million to sign Crnac from Rakow Czestochowa, despite only scoring nine goals in 40 appearances for his previous club. Although he did not reach the heights many hoped for, he had a decent first season at Carrow Road.

Norwich City told to demand big Ante Crnac fee as Borussia Dortmund circle

When asked what fee the club should demand for Crnac this summer if Dortmund comes calling, FLW’s Norwich City fan pundit Zeke Downes insisted that he does not want to see the 21-year-old depart, but admitted that an offer in the region of £15 million to £20 million could be difficult to turn down.

“I don’t see a world in which we let Ante Crnac go, unless we keep hold of Sargent, but I don’t see that happening,” Zeke shared with FLW.

“We only recently signed him for £8.5 million, and he’s already shown some great potential.

“He’s already got some good goals and assists, despite not playing much and often being in the right position, and he’s still very young.

“He has a lot of development left, but he’s shown enough to make me believe that next season, without Sargent, he’ll be able to make that step up, even if it’s obviously a risk.

“At the same time, if Dortmund came in for him, I can understand why he’d want to leave, but it would have to be at a profit, so you’re looking at around £15-20 million.

“If they offered £20 million, you’d have to accept it, but that leaves us with no strikers.

“If we spend £20 million on him, £15 million to £20 million on Sargent, and another £15 million on Sainz, we’ll have enough money to replace three or four attackers.

“We could also use that money for Lewis Dobbin and Jacob Wright, so we have plenty of options if that happens.

“But I would keep Crnac unless they offered a decent amount of money.”

Ante Crnac’s move to Borussia Dortmund may come too soon.

Crnac’s first season at Carrow Road was not easy, but he was frequently forced to play out of position, and he showed enough signs of potential to be a success in the future.

With Sargent expected to leave this summer, Norwich cannot afford to lose another striker in Crnac. While they could be open to selling him if they receive a bid around £15 million to £20 million, it seems unlikely they will receive such a large offer for a player who has yet to fully prove himself at Championship level.

Crnac undoubtedly has the talent to play at a higher level, but he may not be ready to make the step up to a club the size of Borussia Dortmund at this point in his career, and staying in Norfolk for at least another year would be the best option for his development.

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