Wrexham have underlined their growing ambition in the Championship by closing in on a £6.5million deal for Coventry City captain Ben Sheaf, according to reports.
Sky Sports News claim the club have agreed terms with Coventry for the 27-year-old midfielder, who is expected to undergo a medical on Monday just hours before the transfer window closes at 7pm.
Sheaf, once seen as one of the division’s standout midfielders after his commanding performance for Coventry against Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup semi-final, has a year left on his contract with the Sky Blues, with an option of a further 12 months.
Coventry rebuffed offers for him last summer when owner Doug King refused to sanction a sale after the collapse of a move for Marko Stamenic.
But Sheaf’s situation has changed in recent months. Injury setbacks and the arrival of Matt Grimes from Swansea, combined with the rapid progress of Victor Torp under Frank Lampard, have pushed him down the pecking order.
He featured only briefly in Coventry’s opening game before limping off with a groin problem, and was an unused substitute in Saturday’s trip to Oxford.
For Wrexham, Sheaf would represent another significant signing as they continue to adapt to life in the second tier.
The club’s 2-0 victory at Millwall on Saturday was their first Championship win, and manager Phil Parkinson believes the result shows his side are settling at the level.
“We're growing as a team - we belong at this level,” Parkinson said after goals from Kieffer Moore and Lewis O’Brien secured the points.
“We've got players who played here many times before and we've got players who are stepping up to this level. But they're all believing together as a group and I think it showed today.”
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For Wrexham’s owners and supporters, the prospect of adding Sheaf to a squad that already features experienced names such as Moore and O’Brien would be another statement of intent.
The midfielder’s defensive awareness and composure on the ball made him a key figure for Coventry during their push to the Championship play-offs in 2023, and his availability has now opened the door for Wrexham to strengthen further.
The win at The Den followed an EFL Cup triumph at Preston and a battling draw with Sheffield Wednesday, results Parkinson believes have injected belief into the squad.
“Tuesday was a great win at Preston and I felt the belief was coming into us a little bit,” he added.
“The football we've played in these first three or four games, some of the attacking players have been really good.
“We've scored goals... but today [at Millwall] we added a real gritty, determined edge to our play. So that helps you kind of make sure that when the teams have those periods, you come through without conceding a goal. And that's what we did today.”
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Parkinson praised his players’ resilience in south London, highlighting the demands of facing Millwall on their own patch.
“We showed a gritty and determined nature to us today, and I think that was important,” he said.
“You have to do that here at Millwall because they're a good side and it's a really difficult place to come - I've managed here many times and I've played here, and you've got to be stand up and be counted.
“Every single player, everybody who's on the coach, has got to do their bit to make sure you give yourself the best chance of getting a result. I'm so pleased for the boys.”
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Millwall boss Alex Neil admitted his side were undone by errors and blunt attacking play.
“I think where we came up short in the game was our use of the ball,” he said.
“In the final third our use of the ball, whether it was a cross, whether it was a finish, whether it was the final run [wasn't good enough].
“Obviously we had much more territory, much more use of the game, if you like, and then even the first goal we conceded was a mistake.”
