Wrexham AFC agree blockbuster £6.5m deal for Coventry City captain Ben Sheaf | OneFootball

The Red Dragons are aiming to bring Ben Sheaf to North Wales

Wrexham AFC have agreed a deal with Coventry City for their captain Ben Sheaf for a significant seven-figure fee.

As first reported by journalist Mike McGrath via X, the Red Dragons made their move to sign the 27-year-old ex-Arsenal man, who has spent the last five seasons with the Sky Blues.

It has been no secret that Phil Parkinson has been looking to add to his engine room ahead of Monday's 7pm transfer deadline, and they have now made an ambitious move for a Championship veteran.

Wrexham turn transfer attentions to Coventry City's Ben Sheaf as £6.5m deal agreed

The Red Dragons have made a number of high-profile signings this summer, including the likes of Lewis O'Brien, Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead and Callum Doyle.

Midfield has been a keen area of improvement for manager Phil Parkinson, having already signed O'Brien from Nottingham Forest for a club-record fee this window, before then breaking that record with the Broadhead addition.

FLW exclusively revealed earlier this week that the Red Dragons had agreed a deal for West Ham's Scottish midfielder Andy Irving, despite other reports claiming that he'd snubbed a move to the Racecourse Ground, and he could be one of multiple new midfield additions.

Attentions have also turned to English engine room operator Sheaf, who has been a mainstay in Coventry's midfield over the past five seasons, but under Frank Lampard this season he has lost his spot to Matt Grimes and Victor Torp.

Sheaf has one year left on his current deal with the Sky Blues, although they hold the option to extend it by a further year into 2027 - Cov are now cashing in entirely though on a player that has slipped from indispensible 12 months ago to a bit-part player, with a £6.5 million fee agreed, as per Sky Sports' Rob Dorsett.

Ben Sheaf would bring a wealth of Championship experience to Wrexham

Having come through the academy system at Arsenal, Sheaf made the permanent switch to Coventry in the summer of 2021, and has gone on to make 177 appearances for the club across all competitions thus far.

The Englishman missed a large portion of last season through injury, and he has gone unfancied since by Lampard, having played in just seven minutes of Coventry's opening four Championship games this season.

Wrexham will undoubtedly be hoping to get a deal over the line for another midfielder before the end of the window, and it may be a case of more than one arriving, with a bid for Irving accepted.

It's a bit of a surprise that Sheaf has fallen out of Lampard's plans, even with his injury issues, but a £6.5 million fee is definitely fair for his services, and it just proves that Wrexham are here to stay in the Championship with their ambitions.

The 27-year-old would add a plethora of Championship experience to a Wrexham squad which has seen a huge overhaul this summer, as the Red Dragons have the prospect of becoming the first-ever side to earn consecutive promotions from non-league to the Premier League.