Wrexham set to make Crystal Palace defender first summer signing in £5million deal

Wrexham are closing in on Crystal Palace defender Danny Imray, talkSPORT understands.

It is understood Imray won’t be a part of Palace’s squad for the Como Cup ahead of the deal being completed.

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Imray is set to cost Wrexham approximately £5million and will become their first signing of the summer.

News of the 23-year-old’s imminent arrival follows Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson revealing live on talkSPORT he anticipated the club landing a new face this week.

“You bring the players in different stages of pre-season,” Parkinson told Majestic and Alan Pardew on The Final Word.

“Some deals take longer than others, people moving into the area and it took us a while to find our feet in the division and also, I had players adapting to that.

“But I feel we’ve got a better, stronger squad this pre-season and it’s been great to work with the group so far, which we put together last season.

“However, I don’t feel we’re there yet in terms of the squad. We’re not resting on our laurels and thinking we’re seventh and we’re just going to naturally progress above that.”

Who has Danny Imray previously played for?

Imray will join Wrexham following two consecutive seasons out on loan.

The defender linked up with Bromley for the 2024/25 League Two campaign following the club’s promotion from the National League.

Imray made 43 appearances in total for the Ravens, registering two goals and seven assists in all competitions as they finished 11th in the fourth tier.

He then made the step up to League One at the start of the 2025/26 season, joining Blackpool on loan.

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But the stint with the Tangerines only lasted 16 games as Imray was recalled by Palace in January, only to be loaned out again to Championship side West Bromwich Albion.

Imray handled yet another step up in competition as he featured 17 times to help the Baggies avoid relegation from the second tier, even with the club copping a points deduction late in the season.

He’ll soon be tasked with helping Wrexham’s bid for promotion to the Premier League.

How EFL’s radical change will boost Wrexham’s promotion hopes

The Welsh side agonisingly missed out on the play-offs last term as they finished two points off of Hull, who came sixth and went on to win the play-off final.

More will be expected from Parkinson’s side this term though, especially with the Championship play-offs being expanded from four teams to six.

Previously, teams who finished from third to sixth would qualify for the season-ending chaos.

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But the EFL announced in March the format would now include the teams who finish seventh and eighth, giving more teams a chance to enjoy the riches that come with being a Premier League club.

The 2026/27 season will mark the first campaign with the new play-off rules.

Wrexham will continue their pre-season preparations with a friendly against Liverpool at Yankee Stadium in New York.

The match is scheduled to commence at 12:30am BST on Thursday.