Norwich City took a major step to securing their immediate return to the Premier League on Wednesday by defeating Brentford 1-0 at Carrow Road.

Although the visitors started the game brightly with Ivan Toney and Sergi Canos both going close, the Canaries seized control of the clash in the 26th minute as Emi Buendia fired past David Raya.

Teemu Pukki then squandered two opportunities to extend his side's advantage either side of the break.

Despite the Finland international's uncharacteristic misses, Norwich were able to hold on to secure a vital victory in their push for the Championship title.

Currently 10 points clear at the top of the second-tier standings, the Canaries are in a fantastic position to seal promotion with 12 games left to play.

However, regardless of whether Norwich do indeed secure top-flight football for the 2021/22 campaign, they may have to wave goodbye to one of their key players in the summer transfer window.

According to FootballLeagueWorld, the Canaries are reportedly open to offers for full-back Max Aarons who has yet to miss a game this season in the Championship.

It is understood that Norwich believe that the England Under-21 international is good enough to join a Champions League club and thus potential suitors Everton may have to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League in order to sign him.

Aarons is also thought to be the subject of considerable interest from Bayern Munich and Manchester United whilst Barcelona held talks with Norwich about the possibility of signing him last September before opting to swoop for Sergino Dest.

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

Although losing a player who has been an ever-present in their bid for promotion this season will undoubtedly be a blow for Norwich, this summer represents a fantastic chance of securing a sizeable fee for Aarons whose current deal at Carrow Road runs out in 2024.

Therefore, the Canaries ought to consider using the buzz around the 21-year-old to their advantage as they could quite easily spark a bidding war between some of Europe's biggest clubs.

Having secured a £25m fee for Ben Godfrey from Everton and a £15m fee for Jamal Lewis from Newcastle last year, there is no reason why Norwich shouldn't ask for a big sum of money for one of their academy graduates.

By sealing a return to the top-flight, it could be argued that the Canaries may find themselves in a commanding position to attract a quality replacement for Aarons if they do indeed allow him to leave.