Norwich City’s Steven Naismith has been linked with a move back to former club Rangers.
Norwich City manager Alan Irvine
Norwich City’s caretaker boss Alan Irvine has suggested to the East Anglian Daily Press that he would keep Steven Naismith at the club – and defender Russell Martin claims the attacker wants to stay at Carrow Road.
The Canaries are preparing for a summer of change, with a new manager needed following Alex Neil’s departure in March, and Stuart Webber appointed as the club’s new sporting director.
Webber has swung the axe already this week by telling seven players – John Ruddy, Steven Whittaker, Sebastien Bassong, Michael Turner Ryan Bennett, Youssouf Mulumbu and Kyle Lafferty – that they won’t be offered new contracts to stay with the club this summer.
Another player being strongly linked with a move away from Carrow Road is attacker Steven Naismith, who only joined Norwich from Everton back in January 2016.
Everton’s Idrissa Gueye in action with Norwich City’s Steven Naismith
Naismith, 30, has hit five goals and three assists in the Championship this season, but The Scottish Sun reported earlier this week that Norwich are considering terminating his contract in order to get his £50,000-a-week wages off their bill.
Naismith, a Scotland international, won’t be short of offers if he does leave Norwich this summer, and The Express believe that Naismith wants a move back to former club Rangers, despite his acrimonious exit from the club in 2012.
Steven Naismith celebrates scoring for Rangers against Celtic
Now, Norwich’s caretaker boss Alan Irvine has been quoted by the East Anglian Daily Press as saying that, whilst he thinks Naismith is one of the highest earners at the club, he would keep him at Carrow Road from a footballing perspective.
Scotland international Russell Martin added that Naismith has told him that he wants to see out his contract at Carrow Road, but the Norwich hierarchy will have the final say on that, with Rangers possibly watching on with intent.
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