Norwich City say stars Emiliano Buendia and Todd Cantwell won’t be sold for less than £30m

The club’s sporting director said it would take a “club record deal” to part ways with their star players

Jamie Braidwood
Monday 31 May 2021 10:36 BST
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(Getty Images)

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It would take a “club-record deal” for Norwich to sell Emiliano Buendia, Todd Cantwell or Max Aarons ahead of their return to the Premier League, the club’s sporting director Stuart Webber has said.

Norwich secured an immediate promotion back to the top flight after winning the Championship, with Buendia winning the division’s player of the season award.

The Argentinian midfielder, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal, scored 15 goals and registered 16 assists last campaign and is expected to be the subject of transfer interest this summer.

Fellow midfielder Cantwell and right-back Aarons have also had admirers since the club’s spell in the Premier League in 2019/20, but Webber has revealed it would take a fee of at least £30 million to sign any of their prized assets.

“If we do sell one, it's going to be a club-record deal," Webber said to BBC Sport.

"It's probably going to start with a number three in front of it and that will give us great opportunities to maybe make the whole better as well. We’re really relaxed on that front."

The club sold James Maddison to Leicester in 2018 for £22.5m, while defender Ben Godfrey is their record departure after he joined Everton on a £25m deal last summer.

Webber added that the club will not go on a spending spree during the upcoming window as Norwich attempt to consolidate their place in the Premier League.

The Canaries have suffered immediate relegations in their two previous seasons in the top-flight, following promotions in 2015 and 2019.

“You can spend £120m net and get relegated. That's been proven more than once," Webber said.

"We can't go all in now just to try to stay up for one season because, if we get relegated, we're in deep, deep trouble.

"You can do that if you have a rich benefactor who says, 'Spend £100m - if it goes wrong, then I can actually afford to write that off.' We don't have that.

"Our version of that would be to go into administration. We can't take that risk."

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