Norwich City centre back Timm Klose has returned to Switzerland to sign for boyhood club FC Basel.

The popular defender opted to cut short his four-year stint at Carrow Road in a quest for regular football after agreeing a season long loan, with an option to buy, from the 20-time Swiss champions.

Klose had made no secret of his desire to play for the club where he started his career previously, and City have now sanctioned the switch for the Swiss international who was down the pecking order under head coach Daniel Farke.

The 32-year-old’s omission from the matchday squad for the club’s opening Championship game at Huddersfield Town is believed to have hastened his departure.

Klose featured in the previous weekend’s 3-1 League Cup defeat at Luton but had not made any of the squads for the opening four league games.

He returned after long term injury during the Canaries’ ill-fated ‘Project Restart’ period towards the end of the last Premier League campaign but failed to convince after being thrust into the starting line up due to season-ending injuries to Christoph Zimmermann and Grant Hanley.

The ball-playing defender arrived in January 2016 for a reported £8m from Wolfsburg but a knee ligament injury curtailed his debut top flight season, and set the tone for his City career.

The Swiss international made 117 league appearances, notching 10 goals, including a memorable derby day equaliser against Ipswich Town at Carrow Road in 2018 but also missed the second half of the title-winning campaign through injury.

Klose’s surprise move leaves Norwich with three senior centre backs following Ben Godfrey’s club record sale to Everton earlier this week. Ben Gibson partnered Zimmermann in the 2-2 weekend league draw against Derby, with Grant Hanley on the bench after a long lay off following hamstring surgery.

City have already started to explore potential Premier League loan options with the domestic window open until October 16. Arsenal’s highly-rated teenage centre back William Saliba is a player of interest but reports City have launched a loan enquiry are wide of the mark. Saliba, who can also operate at right back, joined the Gunners from St Etienne for a reported £27m in 2019 but another proposed loan spell at his former club fell through in recent days.

Farke is also weighing up whether Andrew Omobamidele is the latest member of the club’s development set up to fast-track into his first team pool.

The Republic of Ireland youth international has earned rave reviews this season for his displays, and was again impressive in Tuesday night’s thumping 5-0 EFL Trophy win for David Wright’s boys at Newport County.

Omobamidele was an unused substitute at Luton Town in the League Cup last month, ironically Klose’s last appearance for the club.