Socceroos vice-captain Harry Souttar could soon be playing under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, with Wrexham weighing up a move for the Australian defender.
Souttar, 27, is understood to be open to joining the Welsh club after his current team Leicester City’s relegation to League One, with Wrexham eager to continue their remarkable rise after narrowly missing the Championship play-offs last season.
Backed by Reynolds and fellow actor McElhenney, Wrexham have become one of world football’s biggest stories after climbing from the National League to the Championship in just a few years.
Now the club is targeting another statement signing as it pushes towards an unprecedented promotion to the Premier League.
Souttar’s stock has risen again after he returned from a long-term Achilles injury in time to feature in all three of Australia’s group-stage matches at the FIFA World Cup.
The 198cm centre back had spent much of last season recovering from the injury as Leicester endured a disastrous campaign that ended in relegation.
Harry Souttar (pictured left) could soon join Ryan Reynolds’ ambitious Wrexham project after impressing for Australia during the FIFA World Cup campaign
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are targeting another statement signing as Wrexham chase promotion to the Premier League next season
Souttar has made 87 Championship appearances and remains highly regarded despite Leicester’s disappointing relegation campaign last term
Despite that setback, the Australian international remains highly regarded, with Wrexham believing he could add valuable experience and quality to Phil Parkinson’s defence.
The Red Dragons finished just two points outside the Championship play-off places last season after investing heavily in their squad and are expected to be active again during the current transfer window.
A move would see Souttar become the latest high-profile player to join a club transformed by Reynolds and McElhenney since they completed their takeover in 2021.
Souttar has made 87 Championship appearances during his career, scoring twice, and is expected to remain in England’s second tier despite Leicester dropping into League One.
The transfer speculation comes as Australia prepares for a historic World Cup round-of-32 clash with Egypt, with another Socceroos defender also attracting attention from European giants.
Teenage sensation Lucas Herrington, who became Australia’s youngest-ever World Cup starter against Paraguay, has been linked with Barcelona and Liverpool following his breakthrough tournament.
The 18-year-old insists he is blocking out the transfer noise while focusing on helping Australia reach the quarter-finals.
‘I’m at the World Cup, so I’m just trying to stay present and really enjoy this moment,’ Herrington said.
‘It’s my first one, hopefully [the] first of many. It doesn’t come around very often; it comes around every four years.
‘I’m really just trying to enjoy every moment here and just work hard. We’ll see what comes after it. But I’m just fully focused on the World Cup and the team at the moment.’
Herrington said he and his representatives had agreed to put any discussions about his club future on hold until Australia’s World Cup campaign comes to an end.
‘It’s sort of a mutual thing, both me and my agent are fully focused on the World Cup,’ he said.
‘I’m just here to do a job for the country, and that’s all I’m focused on at the moment.’
