Exclusive: Wigan Athletic, Salford City & Doncaster Rovers chasing Wrexham AFC transfer deal | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic, Salford City and Doncaster Rovers are all chasing a deal for Wrexham midfielder Harry Ashfield, Football League World has learned

The transfer window is intensifying towards the final stages and, as we head ever close to deadline day, Football League World can exclusively reveal a new emerging race as Wigan Athletic, Doncaster Rovers and Salford City all prepare to battle it out for the signing of Wrexham AFC prospect Harry Ashfield.

Following yet another summer of eye-catching activity in North Wales, Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson will be looking to shift a number of players from what is an extremely large Championship squad before the window slams shut.

The Red Dragons harbour ambitions of competing for an advance to the Premier League after only narrowly missing out on a play-off spot in the club's first season back at second-tier level since 1982, which arrived off the back of three successive promotions.

However, Ashfield is one player who represents an unlikely candidate to play a role in achieving such aspirations as a host of outfits further down the EFL pyramid scramble for his signature ahead of September 1.

Wigan Athletic, Doncaster Rovers and Salford City in Wrexham AFC, Harry Ashfield transfer race

Ashfield's future has been a topic of discussion among Wrexham fans in recent times, with the upwardly-mobile club's continued spending spree providing scarce opportunity for the 20-year-old to make his mark at the Stok Cae Ras.

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Instead, Ashfield could be poised to seal a fresh exit from Wrexham before the window concludes, having spent the second-half of the previous campaign on loan at Cheltenham Town in League Two.

Ashfield caught the eye in Gloucestershire, and his performances have prompted interest from a number of suitors. Indeed, sources have exclusively disclosed to Football League World that Wigan Athletic, Doncaster Rovers and Salford City are all chasing a deal for the midfielder's services in the coming days.

FLW understands that Ashfield could either leave Wrexham on loan or permanently, with the outcome likely to depend on what sort of offers arrive on the table of the Welsh side.

A product of Wrexham's academy, Ashfield has turned out for his boyhood club on nine occasions across three separate campaigns, scoring twice.

Wrexham AFC's Harry Ashfield impressed at Cheltenham Town as Wigan, Doncaster and Salford plot transfer

This development comes after the Welshman impressed during a half-season loan spell in the fourth-tier with Cheltenham, where he found the back of the net twice from 17 appearances.

Ashfield opened his account with the equaliser for Cheltenham in a dramatic 3-2 victory over Salford back in February, which will have no doubt placed the ambitious Ammies on red alert.

He would go on to double his tally by opening the scoring to inspire a 4-0 rout at Walsall two months later, helping the Robins steer clear of relegation trouble with an 18th-placed finish.

Ashfield's temporary switch to Cheltenham has worked well for his development and potential future away from Wrexham, with Wigan and Doncaster having also been impressed by the Welsh U21 international's displays at Whaddon Road.

Wigan, Doncaster and Salford's summer business as Wrexham AFC, Harry Ashfield transfer eyed

All three clubs have been active in this summer's transfer window, and Wigan rank among the busiest outifts in the EFL following a flurry of acquisitions under Gary Caldwell in recent times.

Indeed, the Latics have landed no fewer than 12 incomings, with the permanent arrival of Finley Burns from Manchester City, 17-year-old prodigy Reggie Walsh's loan signing from Chelsea and, of course, the return of Max Power representing the most eye-catching moves at the DW Stadium.

Doncaster, meanwhile, have strengthened following a respectable first season back in League One by returning Alfie May on loan from Huddersfield Town alongside adding two of Ashfield's most impressive ex-Cheltenham teammates in Isaac Hutchinson and Jordan Thomas.

As for Salford, some serious statements of intent have been made under the watch of new boss Peter Cklamovski. FLW exclusively revealed Luke Molyneux's shock switch to the Peninsula Stadium after two outstanding campaigns at Doncaster, and accompanying the talented winger with head-turning additions such as Macaulay Langstaff, Abraham Odoh and Brendan Wiredu is exactly why last season's fourth-tier play-off finalists have been strongly backed as title favourites.

It may just be Salford who have the strongest financial muscle to make a deal happen with both Wrexham and Ashfield, although Wigan and Doncaster can test the midfielder at a higher level and serve his immediate development better - meaning there are various advantages to be accounted for as the young midfielder assesses his next steps.