Stoke City and Preston North End in transfer tussle for Wrexham AFC star

Championship duo Stoke City and Preston North End are both reportedly interested in Wrexham right-wing-back Ryan Barnett ahead of possible moves in the January transfer window.

The 25-year-old has been impressive in League One for the Red Dragons so far this term, and his good form is seemingly capturing the attention of some higher clubs, with his versatility meaning he can play further forward on the right, as well as on the left-wing.

Barnett has enjoyed a pretty rapid rise back to the third-tier with Wrexham over the last few seasons, after initially coming through Shrewsbury Town’s ranks and then joining Solihull Moors in the National League in 2020.

His impressive fifth-tier showings with the Moors earned him a move to North Wales in February 2023, and he has since played a key role in Phil Parkinson’s side’s successive promotions back to League One for this term.

Wrexham will certainly not want to lose a player of Barnett’s quality as they look to keep up their early-season challenge on the top two and achieve a historic third promotion in a row to the Championship, but a decent offer from a second-tier team could surely tempt them into a sale in January.

Ryan Barnett is on the radar of Stoke City and Preston North End

The fresh reports around Barnett’s potential Wrexham departure are from Mike McGrath of the Telegraph, who claims that both Stoke and Preston are monitoring the 25-year-old, who is tipped to be capable of playing at a higher level.

Barnett is currently leading the assists charts in League One, with five to his name from 11 appearances so far, and so it is understandable as to why he is reportedly attracting attention from clubs higher in the league pyramid than the Red Dragons.

Stoke have had a rocky start to the new campaign, with an unexpected change of head-coach last month meaning they have struggled to really get out of the blocks in the Championship as yet.

Narcis Pelach is now the man in charge at the bet365 Stadium, and while he will want to add to his lacking depth in the January window, a player like Barnett certainly seems like more of a club target, than one he in particular will have his eye on right now.

Preston are in a similar state to the Potters, with Paul Heckingbottom now manager after Ryan Lowe departed Deepdale just one game into the new season in August.

The Lilywhites usually played with a five-at-the-back formation under Lowe, utilising wing-backs instead of wingers, but the ex-Sheffield United boss has implemented his own 4-2-3-1 style on the team since his arrival, so it is understandable as to why a versatile player like Barnett could be set to be on the agenda for January.

Wrexham will not want to lose Ryan Barnett in January

Barnett’s stats speak for themselves in League One so far, as not only has he provided the most assists of anyone in the league, but he has also been a mainstay for Phil Parkinson, with just one game on the bench and seven of his outings seeing him complete the full 90 minutes.

He is clearly loving life at the SToK Racecourse too, which may well play a huge part in a potential decision he could have to make on his future in January.

“It’s the happiest I’ve ever been in my career,” he told the The Leader last month.

“Being happy with your own game is what players want, and the manager has helped me immensely.

“He’s had faith in me from the minute I signed. He’s given me the chance to attack in a team that has lots of threat going forward.

“I’ve also been working hard on the defensive side of the game, tracking back and I feel that part of my game has improved.

“My family love the games at The Racecourse. My dad has supported me all over the country, now he’s enjoying it watching Wrexham and even my sisters are tagging along now.”

Those quotes certainly do not give the feel of a player that sees his future lie elsewhere, yet a step-up to the Championship would surely be a tempting one for a player like Barnett, who, as yet, has not played any higher than League One.

Stoke and Preston are each sure to keep an eye on his progression over the coming months, and it would not come as a shock to see either team ramp up their interest ahead of the transfer window, if he keeps performing well.