Norwich City manager's defiant Jonathan Rowe transfer message amid '£7m Leeds United bid'

Norwich City manager Johannes Hoff Thorup insists Jonathan Rowe is ‘fully on board’ with his pre-season plans amid transfer interest from Leeds United.

Reports surfaced on Monday morning linking Rowe with a move to Leeds, with an initial bid worth £7million thought to be imminent. The YEP understands interest is genuine but a deal for the 21-year-old is unlikely to be straightforward, with a large gap in valuations between the two clubs while there are also question marks over Norwich’s willingness to do business with a Championship rival.

Thorup took over at Carrow Road in May and has plenty of transfer speculation to address, with midfielder Gabriel Sara recently joining Galatasaray and now links between Rowe and Leeds. But speaking last month during his summer preparations, the Dane sent out a defiant message to any prospective suitors.

“[Rowe is a] good guy, works hard and also with a smile on his face every day we meet,” Thorup told the Eastern Daily Press. “It seems like he's enjoying the progress in the team and the way that we want to do things. So also the same message with him, and he's also fully on board. We cannot really affect if there will be any other clubs interested or not, you never know. So just focus on what you can do.”

It is important to note that Thorup was equally defiant when asked about Sara, who had also been fleetingly linked with a move to Elland Road in recent weeks before sealing a £20m move to Turkey over the weekend. Norwich have long been expected to cash in on at least one of their top players this summer in order to fund a wider rebuild but it is unclear whether others could still follow Sara.

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Rowe is into the final year of his contract at Carrow Road but local media have reported on the presence of a 12-month extension, which Norwich could soon activate to protect his value. The £7m bid, should it be tabled as reported, will likely be knocked back and it remains to be seen whether Leeds will return with an improved offer.

Recent business suggests they may, with opening offers for Jayden Bogle rejected by Sheffield United before a £5m deal was agreed. But club chiefs have not yet returned with an improvement on the £3.3m proposal FC Koln rejected for Dejan Ljubicic.

Leeds have identified Rowe as a target after losing Crysencio Summerville to West Ham United last week. The 22-year-old Championship Player of the Season left for top-flight football after a £25m-plus release clause was triggered. His departure leaves a major gap in Farke’s squad, with hope that someone like Rowe could replace his goals.

The Canaries’ academy graduate enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, bursting into the first-team picture with five goals in his first five games across all competitions. The winger eventually bagged 13 for the season but was hampered by a hamstring injury in the final weeks.