Relegated Norwich Set £20m Price Tag For Club’s Best Players

Norwich became the first Premier League club to be relegated this season after suffering an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at home to West Ham United on Saturday.

Daniel Farke’s men won promotion to the English top flight last summer but they have won just five league games all season and their defeat to the Hammers was their 24th of the season from 35 games.

Despite their troubles in the top flight, the Canaries boast some of the best young talent in the league, with the likes of Todd Cantwell, Emiliano Buendia, Ben Godfrey and Max Aarons all impressing this season.

While in the championship two seasons ago, Norwich sold James Maddison to Leicester City for £20m and the club’s sporting director Stuart Webber says that fee will be the benchmark for any potential departures.

“We are difficult to negotiate with when we are selling, and we hold all the cards on our young players,” he said.

“Not one of them has less than three years left on their contracts. They owe us, we owe them.

“They are homegrown, and British players cost more. That is almost a Premier League tax these days. We are fortunate we have a few of them. I am sure there will also be interest in our younger ones.

“But that will be on our terms.

“If it is top clubs, like when Leicester came in for James Maddison, you have to respect they can pay him and us a lot of money, and the player has his own personal ambitions. But will we sell someone on the cheap just because they say they want to go? No chance.

“If you sign a contract a year ago it doesn’t mean you can swan off into the sunset.

“They are good guys. They care and the majority of their agents get it. Will there be interest? Of course, but on our terms. Has there been interest? No.

“The staff here know I am fair and it won’t be deluded figures we ask for, but we also need good characters to get us back up.

“We got just over £20m for James Maddison, after one season in the Championship, and we needed the money.

“So what I would be saying to people is please have a look at that before you pick up the phone to us. That has set the benchmark for our club.”