Norwich City are moving ever closer to completing their first signing of the summer transfer window after Jose Cordoba’s recent comments whilst at training with Levski Sofia.
The Canaries were first linked with the Panamanian defender a fortnight ago when Bulgarian outlet Gong claimed that Cordoba is “certain to be sold in the summer”. The outlet revealed that Norwich and Scottish giants Rangers were set to battle it out for the 23-year-old’s signature, although it was believed that the latter held an advantage in this transfer race after the Gers invited Cordoba to Ibrox over Easter to watch a game.
Nevertheless, over the past few days, it has been reported that Rangers are now out of the running for Cordoba’s signature despite the central defender being given celebrity treatment in Glasgow a few weeks ago. Another Bulgarian publication, TEMA Sport, have stated that Rangers will miss out on the Panama international due to their structuring of the deal.
The same outlet are claiming that Norwich City are willing to pay the £3.2 million asking price up front, whereas Rangers were hoping to pay an initial £2 million plus add-ons to take the figure to £3.2 million which is Levski’s asking price. Additionally, TEMA Sport reported that Cordoba’s £7,000-per-week wages were also an issue for the Scottish Premiership runners-up.
All the signs point to Cordoba heading to Carrow Road and further fuel has been added to this fire with the defender’s recent comments. Journalist Leonardo Aguilar provided an update on his future, citing comments from the player himself which suggest that a deal may be wrapped up quite soon.
“You will soon have news, it is a good future for me, I will have a good project to continue growing as a player.”
Writer’s View
It has been reported in the media in recent weeks that the Norwich City hierarchy are keen to greatly reduce the average age of the first-team squad this summer. With 31-year-old Ben Gibson being released after his contract expired, signing Cordoba would suggest a positive change towards reducing the squad’s average age.
Furthermore, the Canaries may be expecting a number of players to leave the club this summer after missing out on promotion once more so acquiring Cordoba would make fans more optimistic heading into next season under Johannes Hoff Thorup.
