'I played with Rashford and McTominay - now I'm signing for Wrexham'

Wrexham are set to blow their club-record transfer fee out of the water with the impending arrival of a new striker.

Backed by the riches of Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Red Dragons are expected to finalise a multi-million-pound deal for Reading forward Sam Smith imminently. Wrexham have struggled for goals this season, despite sitting in third in League One.

The 26-year-old has 11 goals to his name so far this campaign for the Royals, whose financial woes under the ownership of Dai Yongge have left them vulnerable to losing their star players. The Reading Chronicle now reports that a move to Wrexham is nearing completion after Smith registered double digits in the third tier during the last four seasons.

He was brought up through Manchester United’s academy in his early career, where he counted several future famous faces amongst his team-mates. The players he was close to included Marcus Rashford, who has recently fallen out of favour at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim and could leave in the current transfer window, as well as now-Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay.

Ironically, it was Rashford's conversion to the role of striker which partly contributed to Smith not making the grade at United, but the former Cambridge United man said the experience helped shape his character.

Speaking to the Cambridge Independent back in September 2022, Smith said: “I grew up in the academy at United. A lot of us lads went to the same school. Marcus Rashford was one of my friends, Axel Tuanzebe was there, Angel Gomes who is now in France, Scott McTominay played with us and so did Dean Henderson. They were all good lads.

“Being around the best young players in the world at that age is key. The lads who didn’t go on to get a scholarship at United just fell out the game, just from the pure disappointment.

“Luckily for me I’ve got a really good family and they kept me going. Mentally it was difficult, but I think it can also build you up mentally and it builds your character.”

Smith was first picked up by Reading after being released by United at the age of 16. He emerged from the club's youth ranks and signed his first professional contract with them in the summer of 2017.

He made his senior debut in August that year, coming off the bench in a Carabao Cup clash against Gillingham. Reflecting on his move from Manchester, Smith admitted to finding it difficult to adjust at first, but recognised how it helped him in the long term.

He said: “Moving from Manchester all the way down south at 16, it’s difficult, but it’s part of what you’ve got to sacrifice when you’re young and you want to make it as a footballer.

“They (Reading) came to one of my games at United. I knew quite early on I wasn’t going to get a scholarship because they’d just turned Marcus into a striker – he was unbelievable.”

First team appearances were hard to come by for Smith in his first stint at Reading. He spent time on loan with the likes of Oxford United, Shrewsbury Town, Cambridge United, Tranmere Rovers and Cheltenham Town before his contract expired in May 2021.

Smith then joined Cambridge on a permanent basis that summer, scoring 35 goals in 109 appearances across all competitions during two seasons with the club, before returning to Reading in July 2023. He bagged 16 goals in 37 appearances for the Royals last term and has already netted 11 times in 25 matches in their current campaign up until now.

Reports of his impending departure to Wrexham first emerged after he scored on Tuesday during Reading's 3-2 defeat at Burton Albion. It follows Smith opening up in December about his frustration with the club's ongoing takeover saga and lack of finances.

Talking to BBC Radio Berkshire, he was quizzed over whether he expected to still be with the Royals after the January transfer window shortly following the departure of the club's manager, Ruben Selles.

He said: “I honestly have no idea. We’ve seen in the past the decision of some players is taken out of their hands. It’s obviously difficult and you don’t know what is around the corner.

“There is people settled here who want to build, but god knows what’s going to happen. Hopefully we can keep as many as we can. You lose the manager and January is around the corner, I think the players are fearful as well, no one knows what’s going to happen and it doesn’t look like anything has changed.

“I think everyone is just fed up of it to be honest, it’s a constant kick in the teeth when you’re trying to build and you’re not backed. There’s not much we can do about that other than perform on the pitch.”