A reported fee of £20 million plus add-ons has been agreed for the transfer of Norwich City attacking midfielder Gabriel Sara to Turkish giants Galatasaray.
The Brazilian midfielder had been attracting interest from multiple clubs across Europe, after a second season in the EFL Championship, with the player scoring 13 goals and assisting 12 in 48 appearances for the Canaries last season.
Sara, who has two years left with a club option to extend on his current contract at Carrow Road, has not yet experienced top-flight European football, after joining former manager Dean Smith at Norwich ahead of the 2022/23 season. The player has been linked with a move to Premier League side Crystal Palace, as well as play-off rivals Leeds United, currently managed by former Canaries boss Daniel Farke.
Why such strong interest?
Sara, who won the club Player of the Season at the end of the 2022/23 season, has proven to be one of the most versatile midfield options in the Championship, with the midfielder commonly deployed in the number 10 position, but also finding no difficulty as a number eight or played out on the right wing.
The 25-year-old created the most attacking threats per minute for the Canaries last season, with his clinical set piece routines often finding the net or creating a goalscoring opportunity. The midfielder was deployed in a three midfield set-up, with vice-captain Kenny McLean and Chilean midfielder Marcelino Núñez acting as the two defensive midfielders, with McLean once describing Sara as the "full package". When speaking to the PinkUn, he said:
“We got to grips with the game after Gabby got to grips with the game, he got the game by the scruff of the neck, drove us forward for the five minutes before his goal. He was really dictating it.
“Then he got his goal and it settled everyone down. That is where his game is at the minute.
“It was just consistency with him. For me, right now, he is the full package.”
Where next for the Canaries?
Although the departure of one of the clubs' most influential players will surely be disappointing, the club have been expecting strong interest in Sara, and therefore, fans can expect there to be a list of potential replacements lined up.
It was earlier reported in the window that sporting director Ben Knapper had his eyes on former QPR winger Chris Willock, before the player chose to join Cardiff City instead. Willock does prove to be most effective on the right however, and as such might not have been looked for as a direct replacement to Sara.
23-year-old Palmeiras midfielder Gabriel Menino, and Sunderland's Dan Neil have caught the eye for their respective clubs last season, and with the former being similar in playstyle to Sara, might be one player on Knapper's mind with only one week until the start of the season.
Hoff Thorup may also look in-house at the academy prospects for potential replacements to Sara, with 17-year-old Scottish midfielder Gabe Forsyth, who signed for the club last season from Hamilton Academial. Forsyth had a debut academy season to remember, with the midfielder scoring three and assisting two in the U18 Premier League, before stepping up to the Premier League 2, registering five goals in 15 appearances.
Another player already at the club who could be looked upon to replace Sara might be 21-year-old defensive midfielder Liam Gibbs, who, under Smith, was one of the regular faces among the squad in the 2022/23 season, before being utilised more as a rotational option under the most recent manager, David Wagner.
The former Ipswich Town academy prospect has been utilised across the entire midfield so far in pre-season, with Hoff Thorup looking to see where he can best utilise the current crop of players he has inherited at the club.
