€20m market value 

©TM/IMAGO

Toronto FC have made an offer to sign Josh Sargent from Norwich City. Transfermarkt can confirm a report by Fabrizio Romano and The Athletic that talks are taking place to bring the US men’s national team striker to Canada. But while Toronto FC are confident of signing the forward, sources close to Norwich City have pushed back on the narrative that a deal is imminent, as they feel that the most recent bid of $18 million (€15.4m) doesn’t meet the club’s evaluation of the player.

Sargent, on his part, missed Norwich’s 5-1 win in the FA Cup over fourth-division side Walsall on Sunday. “He sent me a message to say that he was not available today because of transfer things that are in his head,” Norwich manager Philippe Clement said to the media when asked about Sargent’s absence. “We need to speak about that this week inside the club. The club has been really clear about that. We know which situation we are in. Him and his agent know the situation, so he will not leave in this transfer window.”

This isn’t the first time that Sargent is on the verge of leaving a club only for a deal to collapse. In the summer, Bundesliga side Wolfsburg thought they had a deal in place to sign the 25-year-old striker. But ultimately the two parties couldn’t agree on a fee and Sargent remained in England. The striker then scored eight goals in 27 games across all competitions for Norwich but with his club fighting relegation and a World Cup spot on the line Sargent appears to once again want out.

Sargent to Toronto FC? MLS club confident a deal can be reached

With that in mind, Toronto FC now feel confident that they can reach a deal to sign the striker. But for a transfer to go through, they would have to meet Norwich’s demands. Sargent’s current market value is €20m, significantly above Toronto’s reported offer. Another obstacle is that, according to a report by Tom Bogert, St. Louis City SC holds the “right of first refusal” for Josh Sargent if he ever decides to play in Major League Soccer. This means that if he were to sign with an MLS team, it must be with St. Louis City, or the club must be compensated if he is transferred elsewhere in the league.

In other words, Toronto FC would need to reach agreements with Norwich City and St. Louis CITY SC to complete the Sargent deal. Sargent, however, wouldn’t be the first player to pick a club that didn’t hold his MLS rights. In 2024, Marco Reus’ rights were held by Charlotte FC, but the German never had any interest in joining the club, and his rights were dealt to his current club, LA Galaxy. The same happened last summer when Thomas Müller opted to join the Whitecaps over FC Cincinnati, the club that held his MLS rights.