Norwich City: Borja Sainz revelations are last thing the Canaries need: View | OneFootball

The Spaniard is said to be the latest City talent attracting interest from afar

Johannes Hoff Thorup’s reign as Norwich City boss has got off to a less than ideal start so far, with the Canaries securing just one win from their opening five Championship matches.

The East Anglia outfit have scored just four goals in that time, with Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz both netting two apiece to help the former Premier League side register five points so far this season.

Sainz’s hot start to the campaign isn’t going unnoticed by those further up the footballing pyramid, with reports surfacing in Spain that claim Athletic Club are interested in the former Real Zaragoza man.

With Thorup struggling to pick up victories at this early juncture of the season, the last thing the City boss needs is one of his main attacking threats having their head turned, with the Spaniard the latest player to be rumoured with a move away from Carrow Road.

Borja Sainz attracts Athletic Club interest

Spanish media outlet El Correo has revealed that Athletic Club are tracking Sainz at this moment in time, following the 23-year-old’s impressive first season in the English game.

Having made the move to Norfolk from Turkish side Giresunspor last summer, Sainz contributed towards eight goals across the campaign from his spot out on the left side of the pitch.

Having scored on his debut in the League Cup against Fulham, it took some time for David Wagner to trust him in his plans, before repaying that faith with a strong end to the season as City missed out in the playoffs.

That sort of form - coupled with his eye-catching start to the current campaign - has seen the Basque club take an interest in the star, who himself was born in Leioa within the Spanish autonomous community.

Bilbao are said to be considering replacements for Nico Williams, who is thought to be on the way out of the club in the year to come, with Sainz said to be one of the names on the list as it stands.

It is thought that any deal for the forward will likely go through in the summer of 2025, although that will depend on the fortunes of Norwich City, although the report does state that Sainz is said to be keen on a move.

Borja Sainz update contributes to Johannes Hoff Thorup’s summer of discontent

It was a running theme throughout the summer, with Norwich City players the subject of a number of transfer battles, leading to discontent within the Canaries’ ranks at the start of the campaign.

Not only was Thorup expected to come in and take over a club who were trying to recover from playoff heartbreak, but the Dane also had several high-profile transfer sagas to deal with before his new side had even played a competitive match.

Whether it was Adam Idah trying to force a return to Celtic after a successful loan spell last season, Jon Rowe [pictured] sidling for a move to Marseille, or Abu Kamara handing in a transfer request to force a move out of the club, it has been quite a turbulent summer at Carrow Road by all accounts.

With that in mind, Thorup will want to get the Sainz situation in hand before the Spaniard becomes the latest star to throw his toys out the pram in the hope of leaving the club, and leave the Norfolk side in an even more precarious position than they find themselves in.

While City will not want to lose one of their key attacking threats, the thought of him not playing to his full potential in the hope of forcing his way out would be even harder to take, with the club already licking its wounds from a dilapidating summer.