Wrexham AFC transfer news: Patrick Bamford, Joe Gelhardt, Phil Parkinson comments | OneFootball

Football League World summarises the latest transfer news at Wrexham AFC

Wrexham AFC will be targeting the January transfer window as a strong opportunity to strengthen their push for three consecutive promotions up to the Championship, with a new striker seemingly at the top of Phil Parkinson's wishlist.

The Welsh side are currently third in the League One standings, just two points behind leaders Birmingham City, in what has been an emphatic return to English football's third-tier.

Wrexham have the division's joint-best defensive record but, relatively of course, have struggled more at the other end of the pitch, with supporters demanding additional firepower this month.

They're yet to make a signing so far in January and have been faced with fresh roadblocks for deals for reported targets, too. Football League World has rounded up the latest transfer news at Wrexham...

Patrick Bamford injury blow could prevent Wrexham AFC, Leeds United transfer deal

Last month, it was claimed in a report by TEAMtalk that Wrexham were interested in a move for Bamford in the summer transfer window but had remained "attentive" to his situation, despite finding a deal impossible to broker due to his reported £40,000 weekly salary.

The Red Dragons were said to have required promotion to the Championship or a pay cut from Bamford in order to complete a deal for the striker, who also has reported interest from Italian side Genoa. Former England international Bamford has endured a difficult few years at Elland Road, with both injuries and inconsistency infront of goal prompting something of a career nosedive.

He's played just 123 minutes of Championship football but won't be getting back on the pitch anytime soon after picking up a hamstring injury, which is now set to keep him out of action for the next month and surely puts a pin through any potential deal for Wrexham until the 2025/26 campaign.

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke confirmed the blow, telling the press ahead of his side's FA Cup home tie against Harrogate Town: “He has suffered a hamstring injury in the Blackburn game. He will be out for four weeks.

"It could be quicker or longer. Already eight days ago. It means there is a small chance he is back in training by the end of January. Overall assessment: four weeks."

Just how likely a move to League One would've been for Bamford is open to debate, but either way, this one can now be put to bed for the time being, one would imagine.

Wrexham had reportedly set their sights on another out-of-favour striker with the Championship promotion hopefuls, as Joe Gelhardt was said to be of interest to Parkinson.

As per reports, Wrexham were said to "like" Gelhardt, who has also been primed to leave West Yorkshire this month after seeing first-team chances arriving at a real premium.

The 22-year-old has played just nine minutes of Championship football this term, having also struggled for minutes under Farke last term.

It wasn't clear just how intent Wrexham were on landing the ex-Wigan Athletic hotshot, but once again, their chances of completing that deal now appear faint. That's because Gelhardt is seemingly edging closer to a move to Hull City, who are in talks to sign the striker for the remainder of the season amid competition from other clubs in both England and Scotland.

The Tigers are reportedly leading the race for the one-time Wrexham target, who is said to be keen on sealing a move across Yorkshire to the MKM Stadium in a potential blow for the Red Dragons as Parkinson bids to address his side's goalscoring issues.

Phil Parkinson's Wrexham AFC transfer update

Wrexham crashed out of the FA Cup at the first-round stage to Harrogate and will not be in action this weekend, leaving nearly two weeks between their most recent outing against Peterborough United and Thursday evening's trip to Shrewsbury Town.

The hectic January fixture schedule can often make it hard for managers to allocate time to working on transfer deals, but Parkinson has had time to try and conduct business and supporters will hope the near-two-week window without matches can pay dividends.

The Wrexham boss confirmed that he is "in the loop" regarding potential incomings, although nothing seems imminent just yet. He said: "It’s the usual transfer window.

"Like everybody, it is looking around the market and touching base. Managers are constantly in touch with each other and obviously players’ agents are very active at this time of the year.

"We are in the loop with everything as we need to be at this stage."