Wrexham look to smash Championship transfer record with approach for French wonderkid

Martin Macdonald

• 22 Jan 2026 07:30 CST
• 5 min read

Nieuws

Wrexham are looking to smash the English Championship transfer record with an approach for Angers youngster Sidiki Cherif.

When Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over ownership of Wrexham in February of 2021, they outlined a plan to bring Premier League football to the club and its fans.

What followed that change in ownership was an unprecedented three successive promotions to League One, League Two and then the Championship - all fuelled by money from Tinseltown.

During the summer, they spent €37.8 million on players which was more than the likes of European giants like Barcelona, Aston Villa, Lazio, Celtic, Rangers, Monaco and Valencia.

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And, the spending is likely to continue as they have been linked with a €21.8m transfer for Cherif, who has been making a name for himself in Ligue 1, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

The 19-year-old striker has four goals in 18 appearances for Angers in the league this season.

It would be a major coup of Wrexham pulled off the deal as Cherif has also been attracting interest from Premier League side Crystal Palace, who are seeking a long-term replacement for Jean-Philippe Mateta.

The current record deal for a Championship side concerns Sindre Walle Egeli, who joined Ipswich from Nordsjælland in 2025 for around €20m.

Ryan Reynolds seeking transfer advice from Man City

It has been reported that Reynolds has personally reached out Manchester City officials for transfer strategy advice, particularly on scouting.

A source has told CEO Today of Reynolds: “Ryan is patient, but he’s also a perfectionist. He understands investment cycles - he built companies that way - but football is a different world. You can’t script form, luck, or goals.

“Reynolds, ever the networker, has reached out to contacts within Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City setup for advice on scouting and analytics.”

The report states Wrexham have “evolved into one of the most fascinating business experiments in sport - a masterclass in how storytelling and finance can collide, sometimes uncomfortably."

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