"£3-4m" - Transfer claim made about Wrexham AFC's Max Cleworth | OneFootball

FLW's Wrexham fan pundit believes Max Cleworth is worth £4 million.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Wrexham defender Max Cleworth has impressed for the Red Dragons during their rise through the leagues.

The 22-year-old first appeared on the bench in the National League for Wrexham during the 2019/20 season, over a year before Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their takeover of the club.

After a loan spell at Welsh club Caernarfon Town the following season, he made 49 league appearances for Wrexham between 2021 and 2023 as they navigated their way out of non-league.

He became a regular starter midway through last season, helping Phil Parkinson's side win automatic promotion to League One, and scored his first goal for the club against Colchester United in April 2024.

Cleworth has gone from strength to strength this season, and, remarkably, is Wrexham's current joint-top goalscorer in League One alongside Elliott Lee and Steven Fletcher, as the majority of Sam Smith's 14 goals came during his time at Reading.

We asked our Wrexham fan pundit, Liam Grice, which player he feels the club could sell for the most amount of money in the summer, and what price-tag he would put on their head.

"We are in a very fortunate position where I do not think we have to sell players," Liam said.

"I cannot say the same for a lot of clubs in and around us, but if we had to sell a player, I think the player that we could maybe get the most money for would be Max Cleworth.

"I do not think he would want to leave, and I do not think we would want him to leave, but I think we could easily demand £3 million or £4 million for him.

"He has been very, very impressive in adapting to the new leagues as we have gone up in the system. He has played a pretty big part in all the promotions, and he looks very capable of playing at League One level, so I have no reason to suspect that he would not do the same at Championship level.

"I could definitely see him playing for a mid-table Championship club, and I think £4 million would be a fair price for Cleworth.

"But, like I said, I do not think we need to sell, I do not think we want to sell, and I do not think Cleworth wants to leave either, so that is good."

Cleworth has impressed in League One this season

Apart from the four games that he was ruled out of with an ankle injury in October, Cleworth has started every game in League One for Wrexham so far this season.

His seven goals have contributed to the Red Dragons picking up 15 points, but his defensive contributions may be what the centre-back is most proud of.

Only Birmingham City have conceded fewer goals than Wrexham in League One so far this season, and Cleworth's impact has been key to that defensive record, with only Eoghan O'Connell having made more blocks and clearances for the club in the third tier this term.

It is difficult to argue with Liam's assessment that Cleworth could play at a higher level, but it seems unlikely that Wrexham would want to sell their homegrown talent, and he could well be playing Championship football next season anyway.