Norwich City have slapped an astounding £50 million price tag on Ben Godfrey amid interest from Arsenal, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund.
According to The Sun, Borussia Dortmund have been told to fork out a staggering £50 million for the services of Ben Godfrey. The Norwich City defender has emerged as a subject of interest from many top clubs across Europe, including Dortmund, as well as, RB Leipzig and Arsenal.
Both the Bundesliga clubs value Godfrey at only half that price, somewhere in the region of £25 million. Norwich, however, are determined to not offload their prized defender on the cheap even though the Canaries are almost destined to be relegated to the Championship.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig aren’t the only clubs interested in Godfrey, with Arsenal also reportedly keeping an eye on the defender, in addition to their league rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
It does not come as a surprise either as Godfrey has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dire campaign for Norwich. He has been an ever-present figure in the back-line, impressing the onlookers with his ball-playing qualities as well as the defensive commitment that made him a key component of Daniel Farke’s tactical setup.
Speaking of Farke, he used to be the coach of Dortmund’s youth team once and his known contacts at the Signal Iduna Park have no doubt played a role in the club’s interest in Godfrey. And in fairness, the Englishman should be an ideal addition to a team that has lacked proper depth, having relied heavily on ageing defensive figureheads like Mats Hummels and Lukasz Piszczek.
Godfrey could also be an excellent replacement for Dayot Upamecano, who has been linked with a move to Premier League, including clubs like Arsenal, especially with his release clause decreasing significantly every year. The Norwich City star, therefore, could build an excellent partnership with the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Willi Orban.
At the same time, however, neither of these Bundesliga clubs are expected to pay anywhere close to the defender’s staggering £50 million valuation, especially at a time where the Coronavirus has inflicted massive financial damage. Dortmund, for one, have suffered a net loss of €50 million due to Covid-19.
Same can be said for Arsenal, who are operating on a small budget. In fact, their economic downfall may have played a key role in the club’s decision to make Pablo Mari’s move permanent while also securing the services of David Luiz for another year, although the latter was indeed a controversial decision. But having done so, it is unlikely that any space is left for another centre-back in the squad.
Nonetheless, it is guaranteed that none of the clubs in Europe will want to pay £50 million for Godfrey. So it will be interesting to see if the player does put pressure on Norwich to offload this summer as he seeks to take the next step in his career. Arsenal, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund will be awaiting any such updates.
