After scoring just a single goal during Norwich City’s relegation-doomed campaign, striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel is prepared to move to France’s St. Etienne on loan, manager Neil Adams confirmed.
“I can’t confirm he is on the move,” Adams told reporters at Carrow Road after their friendly against Celta Vigo. “What I can say is he is in talks with Saint Etienne and he has gone over to France for a medical. If it happens, it happens.”
It looks like it’s happening, Neil. Someone took this picture of Van Wolfswinkel at St. Etienne’s training ground, and it appears a loan move is imminent.
“There are many parts to these deals and anything over and above that is not really for me to speak about but for the board,” Adams said of the 25-year-old Dutchman. “I have said many, many times I am not looking to offload players and he is more than welcome to come back here if that is his decision.
Ye olde “I can’t talk about transfers but here’s what’s going on with this transfer” from Adams. Classic.
The Daily Mail‘s Simon Jones reports the loan deal will have the option for St. Etienne to make the deal permanent for a fee of $8 million.
“I don’t want to lose players. He is a great lad and he has never been a problem to deal with. He has been an excellent professional and if it wasn’t to happen then he would come back into our squad. If it becomes concrete then we’ll deal with that. It is in his hands.”
Van Wolfswinkel was supposed to be the Canaries’ marquee signing last summer after banking his old club Sporting CP nearly $13.5 million. However, he scored just one goal and assisted two others in 25 Premier League appearances, his lone score coming in his very first game for the club.
He has not appeared during the club’s preseason tour of Italy, having sustained a minor knee injury in training.