Norwich City transfer rumours: Rhodes set for Canaries talks as Wednesday lower loan fee

Jordan Rhodes is reportedly closing in on a Norwich City loan move Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images ©Focus Images Limited www.focus-images.co.uk +447814 482222

Jordan Rhodes is reportedly set for talks with Norwich City about a loan move after Sheffield Wednesday dropped the valuation of the £3million loan fee they had hoped to bring in for the striker.

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The Sheffield Star report that sources close to the player have suggested the 28-year-old is heading to Carrow Road for talks over a season-long switch.

The former Ipswich Town trainee has scored just five goals in 31 games since joining the Owls from Middlesbrough for a reported £8m in January 2017.

He is thought to be one of Wednesday’s biggest earners, reportedly on £40,000 per week, and the Yorkshire club would expect the Canaries to cover a ‘big proportion’ of those wages according to the Star.

Whether those terms can be agreed may be the big stumbling block, although the Canaries have balanced the books with the big-money sales of James Maddison and Josh Murphy this summer.

With another of the Premier League big earners also leaving today, as Steven Naismith re-joins Hearts on loan for the final year of his contract, there could be room for manoeuvre in the wage budget – although the Scottish side are unlikely to have covered a large chunk of Naismith’s wages.

As well as concluding deals worth in excess of £20m for Maddison with Leicester and £10m for Murphy with Cardiff this summer, Marley Watkins was sold to Bristol City for around £1m.

Club legend Wes Hoolahan’s contract also expired and Premier League loanees Angus Gunn and Harrison Reed returned to their parent clubs, with fringe players Marcel Franke and Naismith again loaned out.

Five new players have arrived so far, for fees thought to be less than a combined £5m, with Borussia Dortmund right-back Felix Passlack signed on loan.

Emi Buendia arrived from Getafe for around £1.5m, Moritz Leitner’s permanent return from Augsburg cost in the region of £1.3m and Wolves winger Ben Marshall was reportedly a deal worth around £1.5m, while Finland striker Teemu Pukki arrived on a free after leaving Brondby.

Whether that business leaves enough money in the pot for Rhodes to bolster the forward department remains to be seen but it seems clear the player is keen on a return to East Anglia, having spent some of his childhood growing up in Suffolk while his dad, Andy, was goalkeeper coach at Ipswich.

The striker, capped 14 times by Scotland but born in Greater Manchester, enjoyed a prolific spell with Blackburn between 2012 and 2016 where he scored an impressive 82 goal in 159 Championship games.

He helped Boro to promotion but barely featured in the Premier League and has managed 10 goals in 61 games in the last two seasons.