Manchester City midfielder Jacob Wright is closing in on a permanent transfer to Norwich City, according to the Championship club’s sporting director Ben Knapper.
The 19-year-old joined the Canaries in January on a loan deal until the end of the season which included a £5m option-to-buy clause.
Wright has been on the books at Man City since joining their academy at the age of eight, working his way through the club’s youth ranks before signing a scholarship in July 2022.
The Premier League title winner at Under-18s level was given his first-team debut by Pep Guardiola in Man City’s 5-0 FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town in January last year and made a cameo substitute appearance in a Champions League home win over Copenhagen.
However, he has not represented Man City’s first team since and he recently expressed his desire to permanently join Norwich where he has made a positive impression in their senior side, making 15 appearances.
Before his departure at the end of last month, former head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup revealed that Norwich are in a “strong position” to sign Wright permanently, and Knapper has since stated that he is hopeful of extending the midfielder’s stay at Carrow Road.
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Norwich hopeful of signing Wright “in the not too distant future”
Asked in an interview with Pink Un if Norwich are hopeful of signing Wright permanently, Knapper said: “Yes. He has been fantastic. You have seen all the games and the impact he has made. He has grown continually since he has been here.
“But I think what I would say about Jacob is what he brings day to day generally and even in games you would have heard him on the pitch.
“We are talking here about a young man who from an experience in senior football point of view is at the very start of his journey, but you would never think that from the way he carries himself, the way that he approaches his work each day.
“He has huge leadership potential and, of course, we are in a really good place with that and we hope to have some news for you in the not too distant future.”
Wright could become the latest Man City academy graduate to be sold on for profit, with the Citizens having already raised in excess of £175m on home-grown players from their youth system over the last three years.
The funds generated from player sales come as boost to Man City in their quest to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, and they will help Guardiola to strengthen his senior squad in the summer.
