Max Aarons is paying little attention to the transfer talk he is generating, with the Norwich defender prepared to leave links to the likes of Bayern Munich and Tottenham in the hands of others.
The England U21 international has seen his stock rise considerably across the last two seasons. In 2018-19 he helped the Canaries to promotion into the Premier League, before then impressing in what was a testing campaign among the elite for those at Carrow Road.
Norwich are now preparing for a return to the Championship, having suffered relegation, and their most exciting young talents are attracting plenty of interest. Aarons falls into that category, with the 20-year-old right-back considered to be ready for another step up the ladder.
He is aware of the mounting speculation, with Bundesliga champions Bayern said to have joined the race for his signature, but the youngster is not about to let transfer rumours become a distraction.
Aarons told The Athletic: “It’s kind of natural that, as a 20-year-old playing in the Premier League, there will be things out there in the press. I just leave that to the people off the pitch, like Stuart [Webber, Norwich sporting director] or the club to deal with.
“I’ve just tried to focus on finishing the season well in myself and now going away, relaxing over the weeks we have off, and then coming in strong for pre-season.
“Anything else that happens or takes place, it’s not really in my hands. All I can do as a professional footballer is try to develop my game and come back sharp, come back strong and come back ready for a big season.
“I’ve got four years left on my contract here, so I’ll be coming back ready to go, ready to attack next year.”
Aarons has offered no indication that he will be pushing for a move, with the Norwich academy graduate prepared to go again in the second tier if Norwich keep the exit doors closed.
He added: “This season has not gone the way anyone wanted it to but going back to the Championship, we’ve got more than enough in the team as it is at the moment.
“Everyone knows what we can do and even on a Premier League level, when we are right at it and every player was playing well, we have beaten teams. The Championship needs a different approach but no one can doubt the massive amount of quality we have.”