Championship promotion hopefuls Bournemouth are in talks with out-of-favour Norwich City midfielder Todd Cantwell.
The 23-year-old was pictured in training on Thursday but hasn’t made it onto the pitch in any of the last seven games, being left out of the squad for the recent 3-0 win at Watford despite travelling with the squad.
Cantwell had fallen out of favour prior to Daniel Farke’s exit in November and started two of Dean Smith’s first six games in charge, but looked short of match sharpness.
He was linked with interest from big-spending Newcastle earlier in the transfer window but new links have emerged ahead of tomorrow’s 11pm deadline.
The Telegraph’s well-connected reporter John Percy this morning reported that Bournemouth are in talks over a loan deal and that the academy product is expected to leave the Canaries before the transfer deadline.
He also added that Greek side Olymiacos are interested in the former England Under-21 international, who is technically out of contract this summer but with City retaining the option for a further 12 months that is expected to be activated.
Sky Sports have also added Spanish side Granada to the mix, who are currently 14th in La Liga and six points clear of the relegation zone.
Originally from Dereham, Cantwell has been with the Canaries since he was 11 and has scored 14 goals in 110 matches since breaking into the first team in 2018, winning two Championship title winners' medals.
He scored six Premier League goals during 2019-20 but, after relegation, found himself dropped and publicly scorned by Farke for training standards amid speculation of a big-money move to Leeds, although it's believed a bid wasn't actually made.
He recovered to play a crucial part during the second half of the season, hitting top form which appeared to leave him well-placed for another crack at the top flight - but things have not worked out.
Cantwell has been linked with a host of clubs during his career so far, with The Sun recently claiming clubs including Liverpool, Roma, Leicester and Tottenham were monitoring his situation.
Bournemouth have slipped to third in the Championship but are only a point behind Blackburn after ending a worrying run of form with a 1-0 win at struggling Barnsley yesterday, with the Cherries having suffered play-off disappointment last season following relegation.
Olympiacos are nine points clear at the top of the Greek Super League and the dominant force in Greece, having won the title 21 times since the mid-1990s.
After defeat in Champions League qualification, they have progressed to the last 16 of the Europa League and will face Atalanta over two legs next month.
VERDICT: It appears a loan exit ahead of Monday's deadline is likely, with plenty of interest at home and abroad.
It's thought that would not alter things in terms of incomings either, with any initial loan fee unlikely to be sufficient to affect potential spending so late in the transfer window.
After summer spending in the region of £60m with the potential for around £20m further in add-on fees, sporting director Stuart Webber is not believed to be in a position to make further significant investment.
Head coach Dean Smith also already has Milot Rashica, Josh Sargent, Przemek Placheta, Christos Tzolis, Kieran Dowell and youngster Jon Rowe among his wide options.
Eagle-eyed City fans noticed Cantwell had removed any mention of being a Norwich City player from the biography section of his Twitter and Instagram profiles recently, reaffirming suspicions of an imminent exit.
As previously reported, it's understood City would have been willing to sell the creative midfielder had a decent offer arrived this month but it's believed a bid has not been lodged.
With a fresh start needed so that a talented player can get his career back on track, heading to the Championship promotion mix could be in the best interests of all parties.
Norwich will activate the 12-month option in Cantwell's contract to ensure they at least get a fee and if he can help the Cherries seal promotion, then a permanent move wouldn't be at all surprising.
However, seeing his time with the club end in such circumstances would be a sad indictment of the way things have worked out, having previously been linked with clubs of the stature of Bayern Munich and Manchester City, with values in the region of £30m mentioned.
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