Nuremberg appear to have thwarted reported interest from Norwich City in midfielder Hanno Behrens.

German newspaper Bild report that the 27-year-old has been promoted to captain of the Bundesliga II side and is set to sign a new contract extending his stay with the club until 2021.

The same media outlet had recently reported that City were interested in the German defensive midfielder, having signed three other players from the homeland of head coach Daniel Farke since his arrival.

Defenders Marcel Franke and Christoph Zimmermann were signed from Greuther Fuerth and Borussia Dortmund U23s respectively, with midfielder Mario Vrancic arriving from Darmstadt, thanks to the knowledge of the German market of Farke and sporting director Stuart Webber.

After wearing the captain’s armband and scoring the winner in a 2-1 friendly win over Borussia Monchengladbach yesterday, Behrens told Bild: “I think there is soon something to announce which is good for me and for FC Nuremberg.”

Nuremberg finished 12th in the German second tier last season, with strapping midfielder Behrens weighing in with five assists and two goals in 31 league games, having progressed through the youth system at Hamburg before playing for Darmstadt between 2012 and 2015.

The Canaries currently have the experienced Alex Tettey and Southampton loanee Harrison Reed as defensive midfield options, following the summer sales of Jonny Howson and Graham Dorrans, the release of Youssouf Mulumbu and the recurrence of Louis Thompson’s long-term Achilles injury, leaving youngster Ben Godfrey as the next in line.