‘Small Town in Wales’—Lyon Star Reveals Why He Rejected Wrexham’s Club-Record Bid

The Red Dragons were prepared to smash their club transfer record to sign the Lyon star.

Wrexham made an ambitious attempt to sign Pavel Sulc in the summer transfer window. | ANP/Getty Images

Lyon star Pavel Sulc claims he had no intention of joining “cult club” Wrexham or moving to a “small town in Wales” during the summer transfer window.

The Red Dragons were in the market for an attacking midfielder this summer and reportedly made a club-record bid to sign Czechia international Sulc. It was suggested Wrexham offered a whopping $46 million (£35 million) in an ambitious attempt to sign the 25-year-old, but the player had no intention of moving.

Juventus also expressed an interest in Sulc but were not prepared to pay as much as Wrexham, which made any hope of a summer exit unlikely. The attacking midfielder ultimately stayed with Lyon, where he has registered three assists in five matches during their unbeaten start to the new Ligue 1 campaign.

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Why Pavel Sulc Turned Down Wrexham Transfer

Sulc had no intention of joining Wrexham after he had starred at the World Cup in the summer. | Lars Baron/Getty Images

Sulc insists he does not mean any offense toward Wrexham but admits he had no interest in moving to the Championship at this stage of his career, having just been starting for Czechia at the World Cup and featuring regularly in a top-five league with Lyon.

Speaking earlier this week, the attacking midfielder reflected on the transfer window and explained why he turned down the chance to move to the Racecourse Ground.

“I asked the manager if I could only be told about really serious offers, not hypotheses or gossip,” he told Seznam Zprávy. “Lyon also played a crucial role in this, as they had to consider the amount of the offer. None seemed high enough to sell me. Wrexham offered the most.

“Honestly? Wrexham is a cult club with a Hollywood fairytale story, but I didn’t feel like going to the Championship or a small town in Wales. I hope that doesn’t sound too condescending.”

Sulc then revealed that his dream was to move to Juventus, though those hopes fell flat when the Serie A side were not prepared to match the figure Wrexham had offered.

He added: “When Juventus called, I was a bit dreamy. Great club, fantastic history, beautiful stadium, Italy, big Czech footprint. That’s something that my girlfriend Natali and I would definitely like a lot. If the clubs agreed, I certainly wouldn’t be against it. But the offer wasn’t high enough, so it was over. I was still focused on Lyon the whole time, to be as valuable as possible.”

In the end, Wrexham moved to sign Sheffield United playmaker Callum O’Hare for an undisclosed fee believed to be worth $9.5 million (£7 million) on Deadline Day of the summer transfer window.

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