Norwich City

Norwich City

Championship

Norwich City eye Sorinola as Williams replacement if they can beat three Championship suitors

Matthew Sorinola playing for Union Saint-Gilloise

Norwich City are leading the chase to bring Matthew Sorinola back to English football, TEAMtalk understands.

The former Milton Keynes Dons full-back joined Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise last summer. He went on to make 16 appearances for his new club, scoring one goal.

Now having helped them achieve Champions League qualification (entering in the third qualifying round), he is ready to move – with a host of clubs keen.

Norwich City see Sorinola as a natural replacement for Brandon Williams, the Manchester United loanee who could feature on either side.

Williams made 29 appearances during his loan spell at Carrow Road. He was part of the squad that suffered relegation to the Championship.

However, Man Utd have him under contract back at Old Trafford until 2024. Therefore, Williams won’t be following Norwich into the second tier.

Dean Smith is hoping to build a side ready to compete for an instant return to the Premier League. To do so, he will need to find a full-back who can fill the gap left by Williams.

Sorinola, like Williams, is right-footed but favours playing on the left-hand side. He can cover on the right if required, which may be useful if Max Aarons leaves as we expect.

Therefore, he would seem like a natural successor to Williams. He also has experience in the EFL from his MK Dons days, making 34 appearances in League One.

Norwich City face triple threat for Matthew Sorinola

However, Norwich are not the only side looking at him. Swansea City, Reading and Blackburn Rovers are also keen.

Of the trio, Blackburn finished higher in the Championship this season, coming eighth. Swansea and Reading were both in the bottom half, 15th and 21st respectively.

At left-back, Swansea have Ryan Manning and Nathanael Ogbeta. Reading had Baba Rahman on loan from Chelsea last season. Blackburn can call upon Harry Pickering and Tayo Edun.

All are now looking into the possible reintegration of Sorinola into English football. The 21-year-old has two more years of contract left in Belgium. However, he could make a return to his country of birth before then.

READ MORENorwich preparing for Max Aarons’ exit with Manchester United, Arsenal among interested clubs