Nunez set for shock £10m move from Norwich to Ipswich

Nunez has been capped 30 times by Chile

Norwich City midfielder Marcelino Nunez is set to make a shock move from the Canaries to bitter rivals Ipswich Town.

BBC Radio Norfolk report that a deal worth £10m is expected to be completed with Norwich selling as the Chilean is in the final 12 months of his contract.

Nunez underwent a medical on Wednesday night and could be unveiled before Ipswich's Championship fixture against Derby on Saturday.

It represents the first major transfer between the East Anglian clubs since goalkeeper Andy Marshall made the same switch in 2001.

Danish midfielder Pelle Mattsson from Silkeborg is being lined up to be Nunez's replacement at Carrow Road.

Nunez joined Norwich from Club Deportivo Universidad Catolica in 2022 and has made 119 first-team appearances, scoring 12 goals and adding 10 assists.

The 25-year-old has already played three times this season and scored for Norwich away at Watford in the EFL Cup.

Nunez is currently carrying an ankle injury which he sustained in a 2-1 win at Portsmouth on 15 August.

'A good business decision' - Eadie

Former Norwich player Darren Eadie on BBC Radio Norfolk:

There was some talk earlier on in the window but I think we hoped we might get to the end of the window as we were, then this bombshell comes along.

On the face of it, it is a very good business decision which is how you have to look at it, there is a huge 'but' though, and that is the fact that it's Ipswich Town.

I say that you take the money and you reinvest it that's the important part, making sure you reinvest the money correctly.

Players will always come and go at Norwich and sometimes we get caught up in the emotion of it but I totally get it.

Of course, I would have never have made the move myself but my feelings for the club were very different because I came through the club as a youngster and broke through.

This looks to be purely a footballing decision, it's great money for him especially with his injury record.

Nunez's free-kick winner decided the most recent East Anglia derby in April 2024

'Difficult to recall a reaction like this' - analysis

"Lovely Jubbly" – that was the English phrase that Marcelino Nunez had mastered by the time he did his first round of interviews as a Norwich City player.

Along with an infectious smile, it helped him to become a Carrow Road cult hero.

A series of spectacular goals including some fabulous free-kicks, one of which was the only goal of the last East Anglian derby.

That legacy has been tarnished overnight. Norwich City supporters are used to waving farewell to star players and getting big transfer fees along the way but it's difficult to recall a reaction like this one.

When Nunez was good he was really good and had an ability to make the team tick. From a commentator's point of view I'd noticed there was a direct correlation between how often I was mentioning his name and how well City were playing.

Getting £10m for a player who would be available on a free transfer in a year's time makes good business sense. Especially when it appears to be the only concrete offer on the table and is for a midfielder who only started 27 of the 46 Championship matches last season. His injury record has been a source of frustration.

But while sporting directors and club owners might be able to take the emotion out of decisions like this, fans can't.

If Norwich fail to adequately replace an important player after selling to their biggest rivals this is one of the seismic transfers that will be talked about for years to come.