USMNT striker Josh Sargent assured he CAN be a Premier League player as Norwich warned to brace themselves for transfer bids

The United States international linked up with Norwich City in 2021, as they prepared for life back in the big time. He registered just two top-flight goals during his debut campaign at Carrow Road – which ended with relegation into the Championship.

Sargent hit 13 goals in his second season with the Canaries, before posting another personal best in 2023-24 as he found the target on 16 occasions – despite missing several weeks through injury. There has been talk of Premier League interest being shown in the 24-year-old, who looks better prepared to handle the demands of life among English football’s elite.

Former Norwich defender Danny Mills has, speaking in association with 888poker, told GOAL when asked about the progress Sargent has made: “Sometimes with young players it’s difficult. That first step into the Premier League is tough, especially when you’re in a team that isn’t playing particularly well. When you scrape into the Premier League, you start at the bottom of the pile. You are used to winning, used to having the ball, used to being confident and dominating games. Suddenly, it’s a complete role reversal and you are up against it constantly – it’s a different mindset. I always say League Two to League One is a step. League One to the Championship is a step. The Championship to the Premier League is five steps. It’s a huge leap in terms of quality, throughout the whole squad. Sometimes it takes a little bit of learning. That’s what you have to do. I’m sure he’s done that. I’m sure he’s grown and understands the demands of what it takes to be a Premier League player. I’m sure he’s got a very bright future ahead of him.”

Sargent helped to fire Norwich into the play-offs last season, but they now face a fight to keep him. Mills added when asked if the Canaries have a transfer fee in mind that is deemed acceptable: “Everybody is saleable. Every single player on the planet has a price, no matter what anybody says. In this day and age, when you have the player – especially if the player has expressed that he would like to leave to further his career – there aren’t too many clubs or managers that will stand in that way. They are not in the game of holding people back.

"There will be sensible conversations and say ‘look, if we get this money in, we can reinvest that in our squad and maybe bring in three or four players with that money and make our squad stronger’. It’s about being realistic. The two parties, and I’m sure agents and chief execs, will sit down and say ‘if you want to go, if we get to this figure then potentially it can happen’. But also, they will want to get that business done sooner rather than later, because you have got your dominoes all lined up and until that first one gets knocked over you can’t start pulling the trigger on other deals. If it is going to happen, Norwich would rather it happened sooner rather than later.”

Norwich are under no pressure to sell, and can hold out for the highest possible asking price, as they have Sargent tied to a contract through to 2028. He has remained part of the USMNT set-up while turning out in the Championship – gracing their recent Copa America squad – but will harbour ambitions of playing at the very highest level domestically.