Wrexham Record? Ryan Reynolds-Rob McElhenney Club Could Make $26 Million Transfer
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are reportedly ready to set another new transfer record at Wrexham, with the Red Dragons tabling a £19 million ($26m) bid for Angers striker Sidiki Cherif. The 19-year-old is considered to be a long-term addition in North Wales that can make an immediate impact in the present, with Phil Parkinson's side taking aim at promotion into the Premier League.
Record spend: Wrexham splashed out £30m-plus last summer
They spent over £30m ($40m) during the summer window of 2025 in an effort to ensure that collective ranks were strong enough to cope with a step up into the Championship.
Wrexham broke their recruitment record on three occasions, with that bar eventually raised to $13m for Nathan Broadhead. There was always the promise of funds being made available early in 2026 as ambitious Hollywood co-owners call the shots.
They are not having to dip into their own pockets, with more investment being welcomed to SToK Racecourse. Commercial revenue is also rising as the Red Dragons continue to reap the rewards of starring in the award-winning ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series.
Cherif fee: How Wrexham's record offer is pieced together
That could soon welcome a fresh face on board, with Alan Nixon reporting on how a big-money offer has been put in for Cherif. Wrexham’s terms are said to include a guaranteed up front payment of $16m, with the rest of the fee being made up by add-ons and a substantial promotion bonus.
Wrexham hope that they can secure Cherif’s signature by offering him regular game time. He is said to have already turned down a move to Ligue 1 side Paris FC, while Premier League side Crystal Palace have him on their radar.
Cherif broke into Angers’ senior squad during the 2023-24 campaign, helping them to promotion back to Ligue 1. He has recorded four top-flight goals this season — including efforts against Champions League participants Monaco and Marseille.
Busy January: Red Dragons working towards next deadline
Wrexham are not expecting a flurry of new arrivals before the next deadline, but have been keeping the door open. CEO Michael Williamson said recently: "January windows are always challenging just because you don't know what the market is going to be.
"You don't know what other clubs are looking at where sometimes it has to do with loans as well — what players may get called back from loans and from other clubs. It's more of an opportunistic market. You look at your areas within the squad that you could use some additional support, whether it's because of injuries or if it's because of depth and you realise you might want an added piece to the squad. And then it's about whether or not that added piece is available or not.
"In the summer market, there's a lot more availability in the global market, not just in the UK, to be able to identify players to build and support the squad that you have. I think in January, it's more about identifying where you might have some gaps and again, the gaps could be because of injuries or for other reasons, and then try to decide is there an opportunity to fill that?"
Premier League-bound? Wrexham in Championship promotion picture
Head coach Parkinson has been towing a similar line, saying in December when asked about plans to bolster his ranks: "We're always reviewing the situation as you go into January, like every club will. But we made a lot of changes in the summer and we feel a lot of players have now settled into new houses in the area and are getting to know the environment.
"We'll always have one eye on it if the right player comes available, obviously. But we're enjoying working with the group we've got and we've got other players coming back into the group."
Wrexham’s class of 2025-26 have helped the club into ninth spot in the Championship table, two points outside the play-off places and a shot at earning a record-extending fourth successive promotion. They will be back in action on Saturday when taking in a trip to Queens Park Rangers.
