'Lots of offers’ - manager speaks out as new club joins Birmingham City & Sheffield United in race for £3m gem

Norwich City have joined Birmingham City and Sheffield United in the race to sign Swansea City centre-back Harry Darling.

Liam Manning has unveiled his wish to bring Darling to Carrow Road this summer. The new Norwich head coach spoke openly about transfer business during his unveiling press conference last week and name-dropped Darling, whose Swansea contract expires later this month, as a target. Albeit aware of the ‘many offers’ likely to be on the table for the defender, Manning is hopeful the Canaries can complete a swoop.

When asked how many transfers Norwich can be expected to complete in the coming months, Manning said: "I don’t want to put a number on that, but I have done my best to assess the squad and we know which positions we're going for. I had a good time with Harry [Darling] a few years ago, I'm sure he'll have a lot of offers but I think he'd be a great fit."

Darling, arguably one of the best in his position in the Championship despite Swansea’s disappointing slump to 11th last term, is in hot demand as he will be available for free from July 1. The 25-year-old played 39 times in the league last season and hardly missed a beat over the two previous campaigns, either. It’s safe to say the 25-year-old has more than repaid the £1.9 million he cost to sign from MK Dons in 2022.

As much as Darling is a solid defender who was in the top 30 per cent in the Championship for recoveries, duels won and blocks last term, he is best known for his aerial threat. The Swansea man scored five goals in the league throughout 2024/25, following on from netting three and four in the two seasons before that. Last term was his second-best in front of goal, behind his last campaign at MK Dons, when he scored seven in 41 League One games.

Birmingham and Sheffield United hope to disrupt Norwich party

As much as Manning is confident of Norwich landing Darling, Birmingham and Sheffield United could have other ideas. Birmingham World understands Blues want to sign a new central defender this summer and hold Darling, who is on the shortlist, in high regard. The Blades, meanwhile, were linked with Darling in January as they weighed up a move to sign him on a free transfer.

If Birmingham were to beat Norwich, Sheffield United and others to Darling’s services, the centre-half would be competing with Christoph Klarer and new signing Phil Neumann for a spot in the starting lineup. It’s likely Klarer and Neumann will be the partnership to begin with, so Darling may have to force his way into manager Chris Davies’ plans through appearances in cup competitions – or wait for mistakes from his defensive counterparts.

Norwich and Sheffield United would likely offer more guaranteed starts but their projects may not be quite as alluring as Birmingham’s. Blues may have only just been promoted from League One to the Championship but the ambition is there to reach the Premier League sooner rather than later. Chairman Tom Wagner’s plans for a new stadium and sports complex make the move to Birmingham all the more enticing, too.