Sources: USMNT’s Sargent set to join Toronto FC

Toronto FC is in the final stages of acquiring United States international and Norwich City forward Josh Sargent, sources confirmed to ESPN.

The deal will see Toronto pay Norwich a fee of $22 million, which could rise to $27 million if certain incentives are met. Sargent traveled to Toronto to complete his medical Friday.

The fee currently ranks in the top five that an MLS side has ever paid for an incoming transfer. The highest-ever fee is believed to be the $26m that LAFC paid for Son Heung-Min last summer, which the Sargent move will eclipse if all the incentives are reached.

The Daily Mail was the first to report the news of Sargent’s impending transfer.

The move, if completed, completes a bitter transfer saga that began last December when Toronto first made its approach for $18m.

Sargent was keen to make the move given his desire to have him and his family return to North America. When talks appeared to break down in January, Sargent sat out an FA Cup match against Walsall on Jan. 11, and following a meeting with sporting director Ben Knapper and manager Philippe Clement, Sargent was sent to train with the Canaries’ under-21 side.

Sources tell ESPN that during that meeting, Knapper made comments about Sargent’s family. Sargent was seen to be visibly upset by these remarks, and he never played for Norwich again. The breakthrough was finally made in the last few days when the two clubs at last agreed on a price.

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Sargent finishes his Norwich career with 55 goals and 15 assists in all competitions. He scored seven goals in 23 league matches this season. His international prospects have dwindled this campaign, with his last callup to the U.S. men’s national team occurring back in September. He hasn’t scored for the U.S. since 2019.

The move is the latest in a lengthy rebuild for Toronto that finally appears to be coming to fruition. Toronto claimed a domestic treble of MLS Cup, Supporters Shield and Canadian Championship back in 2017, but the last time the Reds qualified for the postseason was in the Covid-impacted season of 2020.

In the last year, Toronto has acquired midfielder Djordje Mihailovic, U.S. World Cup veteran Walker Zimmerman as well as midfielder Dániel Sallói.