Wrexham have already spent big this summer, but there may be more to come from the Dragons, who are now rivalling Birmingham City in another £10m transfer battle.
Already this summer, Wrexham have spent £10m on signing Nathan Broadhead. It came after the Dragons broke their club transfer record to sign Liberato Cacace, and then Lewis O’Brien.
And it looked as though Phil Parkinson’s big summer spending was just about over. But then on Tuesday, reports revealed that Wrexham are closing on another deal to sign Callum Doyle from Manchester City, which will cost Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac a further £8m.
It’s a hugely impressive haul so far for the Dragons, though on the pitch results haven’t been so impressive. On the opening day, Wrexham were beaten 2-1 by Southampton before losing their follow-up championship game against West Brom at the Racecourse.
But there’s still time for Wrexham to complete some more deals, and plenty of time for the players to gel and get underway in the Championship.
Wrexham and Birmingham City battling for £10m Lewis Koumas signing
If £10m on Nathan Broadhead and £8m on Doyle wasn’t enough, Wrexham could now match their £10m club transfer record with a move for Lewis Koumas at Liverpool. For a number of weeks now, Wrexham have been linked with a move for Koumas who looks set to leave Liverpool on loan. Then, more recently, reports revealed that Wrexham are still keen to sign Koumas despite having signed Broadhead from Ipswich Town.
The latest comes from Liverpool Echo, and they’ve added a new element to the transfer race saying that Wrexham and Birmingham City are preparing for a ‘transfer tug-of-war’ over Koumas, with the two Championship sides leading the chase to sign the 19-year-old player.
On top of that, Liverpool Echo suggest that both Birmingham City and Wrexham are trying to work a permanent deal for Koumas who could be worth up to £10m. Liverpool think highly of Koumas, and Liverpool Echo say that the club view him as a player with more potential than Bobby Clark, who left the club for Red Bull Salzburg for £10m last year.
And the Dragons may have an early advantage in this race. It was recently revealed that Koumas already has family ties to Wrexham with his family owning a local food place in the area, potentially handing an unlikely advantage to Wrexham.
How much have Wrexham spent so far this summer?
So far this summer, Birmingham City have signed 12 new players, but their marquee signing was the £10m capture of striker Kyogo Furuhashi from Stade Rennais in Ligue 1. They have spent money on other players such as Marvin Ducksch and Taylor Gardner-Hickman, though they fall below the £3m threshold.
Wrexham meanwhile have signed 10 new players, with Broadhead obviously costing £10m and the likes of Lewis O’Brien and Cacace around the £3m mark. But there’s also been significant money spent on the likes of Kieffer Moore, and it takes Wrexham’s spending over the £20m mark.
| Player | Cost |
| Nathan Broadhead | £10m |
| Lewis O’Brien | £3m |
| Liberato Cacace | £2.2m |
| Conor Coady | £2m |
| Kieffer Moore | £2m |
| George Thomason | £1m |
| Ryan Hardie | £700k |
| Total spend | £20.9m |
Going into the summer, it was reported that Wrexham have a £25m transfer budget for this summer, but they have already spent around that mark, and the signing of Doyle will take it well over that amount.
Then adding another potential £10m for Koumas would see Wrexham’s summer spending total well over the £30m mark, assuming that Doyle arrives for £8m too.
It’s a huge statement of intent from the club and a huge credit to owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, who are showing no signs of slowing down or of taking any profit any time soon.