Wrexham pays a 'significant' fee to acquire a rival's striker in promotion push

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Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England's third division.

In pursuit of its third straight promotion, Wrexham splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith.

The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He's one of the top scorers in the third division.

The transfer fee was not disclosed but British media widely reported it to be around 2 million pounds ($2.5 million) — not extravagant but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that Reynolds and McElhenney paid for the whole club in 2021.

For cash-strapped Reading, it was, well, an offer they couldn't refuse.

“Whilst the club was not actively seeking to sell Sam, the significant offer payable by Wrexham will help support the essential short-term finances required to run the club,” Reading said in a statement.

Smith is a former Manchester United academy player and has 11 goals this season — fourth-most in League One. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Wrexham.

“I'm excited to be a part of the journey now and I want to try and help the club achieve its ambitions,” Smith said in Wrexham's statement.

Later Friday, Wrexham also announced the signing of 35-year-old striker Jay Rodriguez from second-division Burnley for an undisclosed fee. He has made 258 Premier League appearances, scoring 46 goals over nine seasons.

“I hope I can use my experience to help every single player in the squad and gain something from the group as well,” said Rodriguez, who scored twice this season for Burnley mostly off the bench. “To join the story that has evolved at Wrexham with clear targets is exciting for me.”

Wrexham is remarkably two steps away from the Premier League after having climbed from the fifth tier.

The Red Dragons lost at home for the first time this season, 3-2 to Stevenage, on Tuesday, when striker Paul Mullin sent a shot over the bar deep into stoppage time.

Mullin, who had back surgery last summer, has yet to regain his scoring touch. He's netted just twice in 25 league games. In League Two last season, Mullin scored 24 times.

Wrexham plays at Crawley on Saturday looking to gain ground on the two teams above it in the standings.

The top two spots earn automatic promotion to the Championship, and the next four enter a playoff for one other promotion spot.

Third-placed Wrexham trails Wycombe by six points and is eight points behind leader Birmingham, which has star power of its own through minority shareholder Tom Brady.

Birmingham hasn't been shy about spending, either. Last summer, it paid Premier League club Fulham a reported 15 million pounds ($18.7 million), before add-ons, to sign striker Jay Stansfield. That set a League One transfer record.

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