'They have to pay' - Norwich City boss sends out transfer warning amid Leeds United Jonathan Rowe interest
Leeds United are keen on Jonathan Rowe but a deal will not be easy.
Norwich City manager Johannes Hoff Thorup insists his side will not roll over when it comes to transfer interest in their players amid ongoing links between Leeds United and Jonathan Rowe.
Leeds remain interested in Rowe after reports last week suggested they had identified the winger as a replacement for West Ham-bound Crysencio Summerville. The Telegraph claimed an initial valuation of £7million was floated but is some way off Norwich’s price-tag, which is thought to be around £15m - more than double.
Norwich have proven to be no fools in the transfer market, bringing in more than £20m for midfielder Gabriel Sara and recently agreeing a £9.5m deal with Celtic for striker Adam Idah. And they look set to hold firm when it comes to negotiations for Rowe, although Thorup suggested appropriate offers will be considered by those in charge at Carrow Road.
“I know fans love this time of season where there are so many rumours and so many media stories, but I prefer the start of September,” Thorup told The Pink Un. “That’s a good day for almost every coach, no matter where he is, whether it's in England or other places in the world, because they know how the squad will look, and you know which players will be here, and you also know which players have come in.
“So in other words, we can work with the group for a couple of months. That's a good day, and a day you're looking forward to as a coach. If you take Gabby’s (Sara) case, when you talk about a transfer fee in that scale, I think every club in the Championship needs to listen and needs to be open to that.
"We're not a club where we just give our players away for free, so other teams can see that they have to pay, but at the end of the day we have to listen when an offer comes like that. It's important that we feel proud about a story like this, instead of the opposite.”
Norwich have been somewhat weakened by developments over the weekend, with Rowe omitted from the matchday squad for their 2-0 defeat at Oxford United. Thorup revealed after the game that the 21-year-old came to him just hours before kick-off, although reports are conflicting as to whether he explicitly asked to be left out or a decision was taken on his behalf.
The Pink Un reported earlier this week that, following discussions between Thorup and sporting director Ben Knapper, Rowe has been made to train away from the first-team and missed last night’s Carabao Cup meeting with Stevenage. Leeds remain keen on signing the 21-year-old but face competition from Marseille, although reports in France have now suggested the Ligue 1 club could back down amid concerns over his price-tag.
Leeds are in no major rush to get any deal over the line, with Daniel Farke well-stocked out wide. The German has a fully fit squad for this evening’s cup meeting with Middlesbrough and can count on Dan James, Wilfried Gnonto, Brenden Aaronson and Georginio Rutter to all play wide if needed.