Norwich City’s transfer plans have already started to take shape following their confirmed promotion back to the Premier League ahead of a crucial summer for the club.

Daniel Farke has already confirmed that the Canaries will seal the signing of Ben Gibson on a permanent deal from Burnley when the transfer window opens for a fee of around £8.5 million. That is a major potential addition for the club to have made given how impressive the defender has been for them throughout the campaign up until his serious injury.

However, one star of their promotion-winning side that seems to be unlikely to make a return to Carrow Road next term is midfielder Oliver Skipp. He has been one of the standout players in his position in the English second tier this term and has managed to play a pivotal role in helping the Canaries pull away from the sides that have been chasing them.

Football League World believes that Skipp is set to be offered the chance to make a first-team impression with Tottenham next term in the Premier League, rather than being sent out on another potential loan move. That suggests that the Canaries are going to need to search the market for a similar sort of option in the midfield area that could perform in the top-flight.

The Canaries are being linked with a potential move for Manchester United’s promising midfielder James Garner. It has been suggested by the 20-year-old’s agent that Norwich are one of the clubs that are monitoring his situation ahead of the summer. Whilst it is also believed that he could be made available for another temporary move after his spell with Nottingham Forest.

Garner has been excellent for Nottingham Forest in the second half of the campaign, he has had a similar sort of impact for the Reds as Skipp has at Carrow Road. The 20-year-old has been averaging 1.3 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and also 1.2 shots on goal per game, as well as maintaining an 81% passing accuracy across his loans at Watford and Forest (Sofascore).

Compare that with Skipp, who has been averaging one interception, 2.2 tackles and also maintaining a passing accuracy of 88% in his 42 league games this term (Sofascore). That suggests that Garner does have more of an impact in terms of getting forwards, but does show that he is equally capable of retaining possession and providing protection to the back four.

It seems then that Garner would potentially be an ideal replacement for Skipp and with Manchester United having seen how much they have developed the Tottenham midfielder this term, they might be tempted to send the 20-year-old to Carrow Road and hope for a similar impact.

Given Norwich will have to concentrate resources on other areas as well as in midfield, Garner would allow them to save transfer funds with it being a loan deal and they could therefore use more of their budget to strengthen other areas. It seems like almost a no-brainer really.