Wrexham can beat Leeds United and Aston Villa to shock transfer on one clear condition | OneFootball

Wrexham have a key edge over Aston Villa and Leeds United in the potential pursuit of Fulham attacker Harry Wilson.

It has been an almost stupidly Hollywood-esque rise from Wrexham in the last few years and now the Red Dragons are targeting one final push to go from the National League to the Premier League in less than half a decade.

Four successive promotions from non-league to the elite of English football has never been achieved and an attempt at doing so again will never likely come as close as to what Wrexham are at right now.

Following their takeover by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds a few years ago, Wrexham have earned three successive promotions under the management of Phil Parkinson.

Their summer in the Championship began quite slowly in terms of spend but, by the end of the transfer window, it was clear that their plans had changed and their ambitions had become very big again.

After a slow start to the campaign as Wrexham adapted to life in the second-tier, the Welsh outfit have find their groove and have become as difficult to beat as ever for a Parkinson managed side.

A recent 5-3 defeat of automatic promotion challengers Ipswich Town leaves Wrexham sitting tucked inside the top six and the play-off places with just 13 games of the season to go.

As they line up their biggest challenge yet, they will also be looking ahead to the summer and how else they can strengthen – and a move for Harry Wilson is one they may well be able to pull off ahead of Aston Villa and Leeds United.

Wrexham could have a key advantage over Aston Villa and Leeds for Harry Wilson

Out of contract with Fulham this summer, Wales international attacker Harry Wilson has been playing out of his skin for the Cottagers in the last couple of months.

Always blessed with natural talent and superb technical ability, the 28-year-old left footed maestro has found an elite level of consistency of late to see him become one of the best players in the top-flight this season.

The Liverpool academy graduate, who spent time on loan in the EFL with Crewe Alexandra, Hull City, Derby County, Cardiff City and Fulham, as well as a temporary stint in the Premier League with AFC Bournemouth, has become the reported subject of interest from Aston Villa and Leeds United – with the latter nearly signing him last summer.

However, if he was to move to a Villa side that are closing in on UEFA Champions League qualification once again, then it is surely very unlikely he will be granted the same status as he would at Fulham, as well as at Wrexham, at Villa Park – and become more of a squad player for Unai Emery’s Villans.

The same can be said for Leeds to, albeit admittedly to a lesser degree as they continue to cement themselves back in the Premier League after winning the Championship title last year.

At Wrexham, though, the temptation to be the focal point of a Premier League team, his hometown team no less, at the start of an international cycle whereby Wales are co-hosting a major tournament for the first time ever with UEFA EURO 2028, would surely be too good to turn down.

Harry Wilson would actually suit Phil Parkinson and Wrexham

It is quite an easy link and connection to make with a Wrexham-born Premier League standard star becoming the first marquee addition of Wrexham’s top-flight campaign but it does also make quite a lot of sense aside from the laziness of that link.

Phil Parkinson is improving and learning as a coach this year, having previously struggled to make much of an impact in the second division with his in-game decision-making perhaps previously leaving a lot to be desired at a higher level over the course of a league season.

He has a reputation for being a brilliant manager of moments, with special cup runs at Bradford City and now with Wrexham, as well as being able to harness momentum within a squad and prolong positive streaks – as has been the case this season.

It may be basic from the start, with a pragmatic safety first, controlled approach, but his style has certainly developed further throughout the last few years and brought about a lot more flexibility and proactivity to the way in which Wrexham play.

However, should they indeed go up and get Premier League football, the expectation will be that Wrexham begin with a learning process and a safety first mentality to adapt and grow into the division.

That will likely rely upon players in the final third to be able to create things more or less out of nothing – and that has been a skill of Wilson’s throughout his career, let alone during the form of his life in recent months.

Set-pieces and an ability to unlock a team with a swoosh of his excellent left foot would be essential to a Parkinson approach in the top-flight – and his side and game plan would surely be built around Wilson.

The Wrexham-born attacker will be 30 in March 2027 and, as he enters into a phase of his career whereby he will be described as an experienced ‘older head’, leading his hometown team to safety in the top-flight after a remarkable rise from non-league football is surely a more attractive story than being a peripheral figure elsewhere in the Premier League.