Former Norwich City defender Danny Mills says the Canaries may have to cash in on star man Josh Sargent this summer.

The 24-year-old is currently away with the USA for the Copa America, but Premier League links have already surfaced after an impressive Championship campaign.

Brentford are said to be interested in Sargent, while Daniel Farke has long had his eye on a reunion at Leeds United.

With parachute payments now finished and City needing to make a transfer profit during the window, the American is one shining light they’ll consider selling if the price is right, and Mills says sometimes that’s a necessary evil.

“I think we all know that finances are incredibly tight at most football clubs,” he said. “We even see it in the Premier League with some incredibly wealthy owners. It's the nature of football.

“Sometimes you have to sell to rebuild, and sometimes you have to sell your stars to refinance the rest of the team. You can sell one player and bring four in, and sometimes that's just a good business model. It’s what you have to do.”

Mills compared the Sargent situation with Gareth Bale’s when he left Tottenham Hotspur for Real Madrid, saying it may allow Norwich to do extra business ahead of the 2024-25 season.

“Obviously, he was one of their better players last season, one of their standouts, and if you can command a big fee sometimes, you have to sacrifice that,” he continued, speaking to Football League World.

“Spurs did it with Gareth Bale back in the day. They spent the money really badly and brought in 11 players that didn't work, but that's the sort of way sometimes you have to go.

“You have to sell a player for big money, and if you can bring in three or four off the back of that, you end up with a better-balanced team and more chance of going for it and getting promotion.

“I think all clubs will be looking at their recruitment. Who can they bring in and at what price? Because we all know that the championship and the EFL is certainly not awash with cash.”