Wrexham Confirm Triple Summer Transfer Decision Ahead of Fresh Promotion Push

The Red Dragons will strengthen their squad as they push for promotion to the Premier League.

Wrexham plan to send three academy graduates out on loan next season. | Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has revealed plans to send three promising youngsters out on loan in the summer transfer window.

The Red Dragons have begun work on their summer reshuffle as they look to build a squad capable of securing promotion to the Premier League. Wrexham finished seventh in the Championship, just two points from the final playoff position. Although it was the best-ever finish in the club’s 162-year history, it was still a bitter pill to swallow, as they fell just short on the last day of the season.

Wrexham announced their retained list at the end of last week, with six first-team players set to leave the club when their respective contracts expire next month. Several further departures are anticipated in the summer window as the Red Dragons free up space to add new signings to their first-team squad.

Parkinson has also confirmed that Wrexham will look to send some of their best young players out on loan next season, with a trio already lined up for temporary exits.

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Wrexham Plan Three Summer Loan Exits

Wrexham intends to send youngsters Aaron James, Alex Moore and Rio Owen out on loan for the 2026–27 season.

The Red Dragons triggered their option of an additional year for defender James to give him another chance to prove himself after injury. James came through the club’s youth system and made one appearance for the first team this season before suffering a serious knee injury that ended any hope of a loan move.

“I just feel Aaron is a player whose progress has been stifled a little bit this season with a bad knee injury at the start of the season,” Parkinson told Leader Live.

“Then, because he only got back fit in January, that hindered his chances of getting a loan move that we really wanted for him. But we are going to work hard this summer to get Aaron a good loan move, and hopefully he can push on from there.”

Wrexham also exercised its options to extend the contracts of midfielder Moore and forward Owen for another year, with the pair both expected to leave on loan again. Moore and Owen both spent the second half of the season on loan at Welsh league sides Colwyn Bay and Caernarfon Town, respectively.

Parkinson added: “Rio went to Caernarfon, and he was part of the team that won the Welsh Cup. Alex also did well at Colwyn Bay, so we are looking for those two players to go out on loan again. We feel they did enough for us to keep monitoring their progress with us.”

Wrexham Senior Retained List

Player	Decision
Andy Cannon	Released
Jay Rodriguez	Released
Reuben Egan	Released
Callum Edwards	Released
Tom Kelly	Released
Max Purvis	Released
Issa Kabore	End of loan
Aaron James	One-year extension triggered
Alex Moore	One-year extension triggered
Rio Owen	One-year extension triggered

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What Are the Championship Squad Rules?

Wrexham can name a 25-man squad for the Championship season. | Trevor Wilkinson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Wrexham knows it must trim its squad even further if it is to add signings in the summer transfer window.

Championship squad rules state that any club can only have a squad of 25 registered senior players, which must be submitted upon the closure of the summer window. Eight of those players must be homegrown, and at least one of those must be “club developed.”

A homegrown player is anyone who was registered with any club affiliated with the FA or the FA of Wales for at least three seasons, or 36 months, before their 21st birthday. That applies to the majority of the Wrexham squad. A club-developed player is classified as any player who was at the club for “at least 12 months prior to the end of his Under-19 season.” Max Cleworth and Danny Ward are both examples within the current first team.

Championship clubs can also use an unlimited number of players under the age of 21 (any player born on or after January 1, 2005) without registering them. This means January signing Bailey Cadamarteri would not need to be registered next season and would effectively be a bonus option outside the 25-man squad.

Any loan signing must be registered, even if they are under the age of 21. There is no strict limit on the number of loan players a club can sign, but only five can be named in a matchday squad at one time. There is also a limit of four loan signings from one club during a season, of which only two can be aged over 23.

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