Wrexham primed for £5m swoop on Palace defender as keeper hunt ramps up
Ambition is a marvellous thing, and Wrexham have it in spades. Fresh off a near-miss in last season’s Championship play-off race, the club’s summer has finally sparked into life with a move that speaks to their upward trajectory.
Imminent: Wrexham closing on Palace defender
Per respected reporter Mike McGrath, Crystal Palace are set to leave Danny Imray at home for their Como Cup pre-season trip in Italy, with the 23-year-old defender nearing a permanent switch to Wrexham. The fee is understood to be around £5 million — punchy money, but exactly the sort of intent you’d expect from owners who haven’t been shy about backing the project.
Imray hasn’t been able to crack Palace’s first team, taking in loan spells at West Brom and Blackpool last season, with earlier stints at Chelmsford and Bromley. Still, at 23, there’s time and talent to polish. For Wrexham, he looks a sensible piece of business: a hungry defender stepping down a rung to play every week, with the scope to grow into a mainstay.
Keeper market: Wrexham turning the screw
The Welsh club’s recruitment drive doesn’t stop at the back line. They’re in the market for a new goalkeeper and, according to reports, are preparing a £7 million offer for Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson — potentially structured as a permanent or a loan-to-buy. There’s also firm interest in Mark Travers, with suggestions of an £8 million release clause in his deal, though Wrexham face competition from Coventry City.
It’s clear the brief is simple: raise the ceiling. A new No 1 of that calibre would do just that, while Imray’s arrival would add legs and depth to a defence that must be rock-solid if Wrexham are to turn promise into promotion.
Big picture: statement summer in the making
Wrexham have invested cleverly to surge from non-league to the Championship — and they’re not about to tap the brakes with the Premier League dangling in the near distance. If Imray is indeed omitted from Palace’s tour, you’d expect this one to move quickly. Secure the defender, land a commanding goalkeeper, and suddenly last season’s near-miss looks like the foundation for a proper tilt at the top six.
Transfer Watch: If you fancy weighing up the promotion odds and summer specials, take a look at the best betting sites for the latest prices — there could be value before these moves get rubber-stamped.
Bottom line: this feels like the start of Wrexham’s summer, not the end. Nail the next few weeks and they won’t just be knocking on the Premier League’s door — they’ll be rattling the hinges.
