Wrexham plan to smash transfer record with unthinkable move for Ligue 1 star

Wrexham are reportedly planning to smash their transfer record in the closing days of the window by pulling off one of the most audacious moves in Championship history.

The Red Dragons narrowly missed out on the Championship play-offs on the final day of last season, ultimately finishing two points behind eventual play-off winners Hull City.

They have kicked off the 2026/27 season with consecutive 1-1 draws against Cardiff and Watford.

Wrexham have splashed out around £16 million in the current window on three players, with full-back Danny Imray signing from Crystal Palace, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson joining from Sunderland, and midfielder Ben Whiteman arriving from Preston North End.

The deal for Patterson is believed to be worth at least £8 million, which would represent a club-record fee paid out by the Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac majority-owned club.

READ MORE: Wrexham agree big-money deal with Premier League club for third summer signing

Their business may not be done there, with manager Phil Parkinson saying he had a 'great chat with Rob and Ryan' before Wrexham's 1-1 draw with Watford on Saturday.

"There's no guarantees any signings will come in," he cautioned. "Because the players we're competing for are wanted by other clubs in this division and other divisions around Europe.

"They're the kind of difference-making type of players we want."

And their latest reported big-money target would certainly fit that bill.

Wrexham targeting Lyon top scorer in club-record deal

According to journalist Pete O'Rourke, Wrexham are planning to submit a club-record bid to sign Czechia international midfielder Pavel Sulc from Ligue 1 giants Lyon.

Sulc, 25, scored 11 goals in France's top division last season, making him Lyon's top goalscorer alongside Corentin Tolisso.

While he is an attacking midfielder by trade, the Czech star can also play as a centre forward and drop deeper if required.

Pavel Sulc scored 11 goals in Ligue 1 for Lyon last season (Image: Getty)

He was linked with a move to Premier League side Leeds United earlier in the summer, though the Yorkshire Evening Post reported its understanding that Daniel Farke's side were not 'actively pursuing a deal'.

After featuring at the World Cup, Sulc missed almost the entirety of Lyon's pre-season with a knee issue, and their manager Paulo Fonseca stated at the beginning of August that he was not guaranteed to stay at the club beyond the transfer deadline.

"There are options out there," Fonseca stated. "We really value him here - he had an excellent season last year.

"I can't say right now whether he'll leave or not. Pavel's value is very high, and every club in Europe will be keeping a close eye on him."

Lyon remain in contention to play in this season's Champions League, and will qualify if they beat Fenerbahce in the second leg of their play-off tie after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

According to Foot Mercato, Lyon value Sulc at a figure of at least €25 million (around £21.3 million), which is nearly three times the value of Wrexham's existing transfer record.

It would have represented an EFL transfer record until earlier this month, when West Ham splashed out £22 million to sign midfielder Arne Engels from Celtic.

READ MORE: West Ham agree deal to smash Championship transfer record just hours before new season starts

While that figure was enabled by West Ham selling key players - as well as many consecutive years of Premier League television rights payments - it is an indication of the amount of money top Championship clubs, rightly or wrongly, feel they now have to spend on players to compete for promotion.