Norwich City: Potential Josh Sargent replacement could be ex-Leeds United man signed by Bielsa | OneFootball

Norwich Citymaintained their six-point advantage over Hull City in the race for the Championship play-offs heading into the final fixtures of the campaign.

The Canaries were able to come away victorious against Preston North End at Deepdale, while Middlesbrough could only draw with Ipswich Town, with the Tigers able to comfortably dispatch Queens Park Rangers to keep within striking distance of David Wagner's side.

But with Norwich's impressive campaign has come interest for some of their star players, with the likes of Jon Rowe and Gabriel Sara linked with a move away from Carrow Road, along with top scorer, Josh Sargent, with the likes of Wolves and Brentford reportedly interested.

And while full focus will remain on ensuring a place in the play-offs, planning will be underway for the summer and the possibility of losing some of their top talent.

Former Leeds United man could be Norwich's answer to Josh Sargent's potential exit

Should the Canaries agree a deal to sell Sargent, they could be enticed into welcoming former Leeds United striker, Rafa Mujica, to Carrow Road in the summer transfer window.

Having come through Barcelona's La Masia academy, the Spaniard would struggle to break into the first team in Catalonia, but did feature and score against Leicester City in a pre-season friendly in 2016. He would struggle with a hamstring injury, leaving the Nou Camp for Elland Road in 2019.

Mujica would initially be a part of Carlos Corberan's under-23 team, but he would feature for Marcelo Bielsa's side in a pre-season friendly against York City. However, he would fail to make an impact with the Yorkshire club.

Further loans back to his home nation with Extremadura, Villarreall, Oviedo and Las Palmas, before joining Los Amarillos on a permanent deal. He would spend just one season with his hometown club, moving to Primeira Liga side, Arouca, on a two-year deal where he seems to have rediscovered that goal-scoring touch.

Mujica's first season in Portugal saw him score 14 times in all competitions, but he has gone on to eclipse that this term.

The Spaniard has netted 22 goals and provided four assists in the league and cup, including strikes against Sporting CP, FC Porto and SC Braga. He also scored in Arouca's most recent success in the top flight against Boavista, netting his third goal in two matches.

When searching potential striking options for the Canaries to potentially visit in the summer, Mujica is the most like Sargent when comparing his stats this season, according to FbRef.

The pair are similar in height and age, and when looking at their playing styles, are very similar in the way in which they score their goals with both finishing their chances from inside the area while also being involved in the build-up of attacks.

FbRef's findings also place LA Galaxy's Dejan Joveljic and Benfica's Marcos Leonardo as the players most similar to Sargent, along with Mujica.

But upon delving further into the statistics, and given that the former Leeds striker has previously played in England, albeit at academy level, it could be an option for the Canaries to look at should the American international leave the club.

That decision will need to be under some serious consideration, with the Canaries also having to make a decision on Bologna striker, Sydney van Hooijdonk, who is yet to score since his switch from the Serie A side, but the club do have an option to buy the 24-year-old.

Wagner will insist that full focus remains on the pitch until the end of the season, and he will be hoping Sargent can help fire his side to a return to the Premier League, although if the Canaries are unsuccessful in their attempts to reach the top flight, Sargent may well be playing there anyway next term.