Wrexham handed boost in club record transfer bid as £7m striker deal sparks hope
Wrexham’s pursuit of Nathan Broadhead could be back on the cards following Ipswich Town’s move to strengthen their forward line.
The Tractor Boys confirmed the signing of Ajax striker Chuba Akpom on Sunday, securing him on an initial season-long loan deal and outmanoeuvring rivals Birmingham City and Middlesbrough. According to Sky Sports, Ipswich will be obliged to purchase the 29-year-old for £7million if they achieve promotion to the Premier League this season.
The successful acquisition of Akpom might give a lift to Championship newcomers Wrexham’s aspirations of landing Ipswich forward Broadhead. The Red Dragons, owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, were previously reported to have agreed to buy the Wales international for a club record fee of £7.5m.
However, the 27-year-old’s transfer was subsequently put on hold by Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna due to injuries to other forwards and interest in Omari Hutchinson from several Premier League clubs. Last week, the Northern Irishman acknowledged that Broadhead had expressed a wish to leave, but said he would not approve his exit unless the Tractor Boys could bring in new attacking reinforcements.
Broadhead later made an appearance as a second-half substitute during Ipswich’s 1-1 draw at Birmingham in their opening Championship match on Friday. His presence in the matchday squad cast uncertainty over his anticipated move to Wrexham.
However, McKenna dropped hints about the potential impact of Akpom’s signing in a post-match interview. He suggested that Ipswich still had transactions to make if they were to be serious contenders for automatic promotion, hinting at further changes within the team before the transfer deadline on September 1.
“We’ve got work to do with the group on the training pitch,” McKenna told Sky Sports. “It’s a short turnaround between Premier League and the Championship. It’s still been a short pre-season, so we’ve got work to do on the training ground.
“We’ve got new players to integrate, and to still get up to full speed. We know we’ve got some incomings and outgoings that we need to resolve. Our squad needs to be stronger if we want to consider ourselves one of the top teams in the division.”
Wrexham started their first Championship season in 43 years with a 2-1 loss at Southampton on Saturday. Phil Parkinson’s side initially led after Josh Windass fired home a penalty, but ultimately succumbed to late goals from Ryan Manning and Jack Stephens for the Saints.
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