Fans of Norwich City 

Norwich City boss Chris Hughton confirmed on Monday lunchtime he is interested in bringing England Under-21 starlet Nathan Redmond to Carrow Road this summer - but the Canaries’ boss stopped short of confirming a deal had been sealed for the Birmingham wide player.

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Reports in the Midlands claim City have beaten off interest from Swansea and a clutch of other Premier League rivals to sign the 19-year-old in a deal that could rise to £3.2m.

Redmond is reportedly heading to Norfolk to undergo a medical after agreeing personal terms. St Andrews’ chief Lee Clark revealed last week the Blues had accepted two bids from unamed clubs.

“He is a player we are very, very interested in. I can say that much,” said Hughton. “I suppose the association is a natural one with him because he was a player I had at Birmingham but certainly right now we are not able to say anything until there is something that is sure and confirmed but, yes, he is a player we have an interest in.”

Hughton also sought to dampen down rising expectations that Swedish international Ola Toivonen could join Redmond imminently in Norfolk. The attacking midfielder has been given an ultimatum by his Dutch club PSV Eindhoven to decide his future this week after City had a reported £4.8m bid accepted last month.

“He is a player we have shown interest in. But I have to say he is one of a few,” he said. “Some of the reports that you will hear will have a little bit of substance to them, some are far off the mark but you learn in this game that until there is a done deal not to take anything for granted. But in general terms we are working very hard. In an ideal world you would like to do your business as soon as possible. The problem is it is getting more and more difficult for that to happen.”

Hughton also made his first public comments on last week’s reports Chelsea have targeted England international John Ruddy with a £5m offer rejected by the Canaries.

“John is no different to any player we have here. Any interest in any of our players is just a mark and a testament to how well those individuals have done,” he said. “We start back training on Thursday. John is very much part of our plans and will be here. Then we go away to Austria next week and of course John is very much part of that. Any interest shown in any of our players is just a mark of how well they have done. We see very much John’s future here and we look forward to him being here.”