Can Toronto And Norwich Get Josh Sargent's Transfer Over The Line?

Josh Sargent’s proposed transfer to Toronto FC from Norwich City quickly turned sour, but the Canadian club has the ability to end the saga tomorrow should they choose.

The saga involving the MLS team, the English Championship club, and the United States international has led to differing opinions and criticism from both sides of the Atlantic.

A summary of events so far sees a transfer bid for Sargent from Toronto FC, but one that is quite a way below Norwich City’s valuation of their player. As a result, the bid was rejected, but the player is eager to move for family reasons, so he has done all in his power to try to force it through.

It has led to disappointment and criticism from Norwich fans from one perspective, and criticism from those on the MLS side of the pond from another.

Reports emerged that comments were made about Sargent’s family by Norwich City representatives during negotiations, with Tom Bogert reporting: “One source says there was a comment made regarding Sargent's family which was the last straw. He continues to train with second team as he pushes for transfer to Toronto FC.”

Not much has changed since.

The player’s camp seems to be engineering a move, while the club is holding out for a fee they think is reasonable. In these circumstances, both of these things are not unusual. Transfer deals regularly involve a tug of war as both parties look after their interests, but this being played out publicly has led to plenty of back and forth from supporters of both camps and supporters of MLS as a whole.

MLS is not always used to dealing at this echelon of the transfer market, in part due to its place in the wider soccer ecosystem. MLS’s position in global league rankings is difficult to ascertain, given that it is a fairly unique league run as a single entity with teams seen as franchises whose owner-operators are seen as shareholders in the league as a whole. Players joining MLS effectively sign contracts with the league. 

There have been gradual moves throughout MLS’s existence to give the teams more leeway and freedom when going about their transfer business, but restrictions, including around the makeup of rosters and a salary cap, remain in place.

An example of MLS’s unusual operation when it comes to transfers is that cash transfers for intra-MLS deals, the type seen as the norm in other leagues around the world, were only introduced in 2025. They are so much of novelty, they are often referred to as “cashfers”.

MLS does have a long history of buying and selling with foreign leagues, but due to its status, existing at a level below some of the world's top leagues, and its unique structure when compared to other leagues considered at a similar level, such as Brazil or the Netherlands, it has operated at certain tiers below the peak level of the transfer market.

Opta currently ranks MLS as the 11th strongest league in the world, between Denmark and Poland. Leagues ahead of it include the Brazilian Serie A, which is the strongest in the Americas, the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, and, pertinent here, the English Championship (England’s second tier).

It is notable that when an MLS team did decide to operate at this level in the market, purchasing an English Championship striker of a similar age to Sargent, Atlanta United had to break the league transfer record (at the time), spending $22 million plus add-ons to sign Emmanuel Latte Lath from Middlesbrough. 

Reports in England indicated that the add-ons took the fee to around $30 million.

A combination of all of these factors means MLS rarely, if ever, buys players at their peak from Europe, and if they do sign a player who will be seen as raising the league’s level, it is usually at a lower fee due to the player’s age, an expiring contract, or a signing on a free transfer.

Sargent is a 25-year-old United States international playing in a league ranked sixth in the world with two and a half years left on his contract. Sargent’s five-year contract with Norwich City, signed in 2023, gave him the security of a long-term deal in a high-profile league.

It was especially good for him at the time, as he was recovering from ankle surgery, so it could be seen as a show of faith from the club in their player in that moment.

As much as it would be good for players to hold more power when it comes to deciding who they work for and when they can change clubs, etc., in this instance, Norwich is in a strong position due to the player’s contract length and age, meaning they will expect a reasonable sum.

Most independent valuations seem to have Sargent at around £20m ($27m). Toronto FC’s bid reportedly came in at $18 million per ESPN.

The market value for strikers is also experiencing a relative high, as clubs search for a certain type of player who is not so readily available.

Another indication of the price of (American) strikers coming from this level of league is that Fulham recently had a bid of $38 million rejected by Eredivisie side PSV for Ricardo Pepi, and will have to pay more to get the transfer over the line. The Dutch league is ranked below the English Championship by Opta and others, so again, this indicates how understandable it is that Norwich is demanding a higher fee.

Both parties in this saga have received criticism for their actions — Sargent’s decision not to play for Norwich in order to force a move, and, on the other side of the coin, Norwich’s refusal to allow the player to move.

Though both of these parties are being criticised, the real issue delaying this transfer lies with Toronto FC and their refusal to meet the valuation of a player in his peak years playing in one of the world’s top leagues.