Following their third consecutive promotion within the EFL, the first time this has been accomplished in English professional football, Wrexham will be looking to ensure they not only stick around in the Championship next season but maybe even challenge for a sensational step up to the coveted top flight.
Owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have sparked a rocket-like rise through the ranks for Wrexham since taking over the club. They have progressed all the way from fifth-tier National League to the second-tier Championship in just three short seasons.
With yet another step up comes another likely spending spree, as they know short-term investment can provide long-term gain.
The Sporting News brings you the latest reports and speculation on Wrexham's potential transfer targets during the off-season.
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Wrexham transfer targets: News, updates
Following Wrexham's promotion, talk began about how the club would tackle the significant step up in competition.
Below is the latest on their plans.
Will Wrexham sign Jamie Vardy?
One player who has been mentioned as a potential target for the club is Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, who is set to leave the club this summer at the expiration of his contract.
Vardy's potential arrival would make sense in a number of ways. First, he would provide invaluable experience at the top two levels of the English football pyramid. Second, he remains a capable striker, having scored seven goals in the Premier League this past season while playing in a poor, relegated side.
Finally, Vardy's relative fame and Hollywood charm would be perfect for the Wrexham project, both for on-camera purposes and the club's general personality under Reynolds and McElhenney.
However, a significant road block remains: wages. Vardy will depart Leicester City as the club's highest-paid player by a strong margin, having earned £7.2 million ($9.59m / €8.49m) over the past year, or about £138,460 per week ($184,420 / €163,270).
To compare that with what Wrexham currently shell out for player salaries, the club's entire wage bill for the 2023/24 season, when they earned promotion from League Two, was reportedly around £11 million ($14.6m / €13m), already a £7 million increase from their previous season in non-league competition. That already would have ranked them third in League One, and the club surely increased further after advancing to England's third tier.
At this point, ESPN reporter Marc Ogden said the signing is unlikely, and while he did not specify why, the potential wage gap is surely a factor. Still, it remains an intriguing possibility until totally ruled out.
Patrick Bamford and Jonny Evans reportedly of interest
While the season is yet to wrap up, no concrete transfer news has truly come to light, and Wrexham likely wish to keep it that way while they remain faithful to the players who earned them a Championship place.
Still, that won't stop others from speculating, with a few names already swirling.
One name to crop up is Patrick Bamford, who was a bit-part player during Leeds United's promotion campaign in the Championship this season. Now 31 years old, Bamford's Leeds contract has just one year left, and he's unlikely to play a role for them in the Premier League. Still, his horrendous production over the past few seasons — he scored four goals in 28 Premier League appearances in 2022/23, and has eight goals in 49 Championship appearances the past two campaigns — means he would be a real risk.
To solidify at the back, Wrexham could swoop for Jonny Evans, who is out of contract at Manchester United this summer. Despite being 37 years old and only a part-time Premier League participant in recent years, Evans has proven a tough cookie for the Red Devils when required during their numerous recent injury crises. If they can make the wages work, he'd be a solid addition from both an experience and performance perspective.
If they want to look down the ladder, they could make a move for League One's leading scorer Charlie Kelman if Leyton Orient fall short of promotion via the playoffs. The 23-year-old might jump at the chance to move up a level, and he wouldn't require a fee with his contract expiring this summer. Twenty-one-year-old Richard Kone of Wycombe Wanderers is in a similar situation, still potentially set for promotion but also possibly looking for a move if they fall short, with his contract running for just one more year.
Often, Championship clubs look to young Premier League players yet to break through at top-flight clubs for a one-year loan to fill key holes in the squad. Wrexham even found success with this as they brought in Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo first on loan and then on a permanent basis.
This summer, they could look to Manchester United where a few youngsters have broken through this season, but the pathway to regular minutes could be tough moving forward. The likes of Ayden Heaven and Toby Collyer have impressed in spot starts — Heaven, in particular, is much admired by head coach Ruben Amorim — but the two might benefit from a season of regular playing time in the Championship, especially if United go on a spending spree this summer.