Wrexham are closing in on two signings that would reshape their defensive options heading into the new Championship season. The club is set to sign right-back Issa Kabore on a permanent deal from Manchester City and bring in left-back Jacques Ekomie from French side Angers.
According to a report by BBC Sport, the deal for Kabore is worth up to £4.75 million, with Manchester City retaining a 20 percent sell-on clause and matching rights. Kabore spent last season on loan at Wrexham, making 32 appearances across all competitions and registering eight assists in the Championship, more than any other player at the club. He is 25 years old and made the move from Mechelen to Manchester City in 2020, but never made a senior appearance for the club. Over the following years he went out on loan seven times, spending time at Troyes, Marseille, Luton Town, Benfica and Werder Bremen before landing at Wrexham on transfer deadline day last September.
Kabore's debut for Wrexham was an immediate one. He registered two assists to help the club earn a 3-2 win over Norwich City at Carrow Road. He became a regular starter under manager Phil Parkinson before a hamstring injury suffered while on international duty in November cut his season short. He recovered in time to appear for Burkina Faso in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, then returned to feature prominently for Wrexham in the second half of the season. Kabore has 55 caps for Burkina Faso.
Ekomie is 23 years old and came up through Bordeaux before moving to Angers in the summer of 2024. He made 21 appearances in his debut season for the club, and his role grew last season. He featured in all but two of Angers' Ligue 1 matches in 2025-26, starting 25 of his 32 league appearances. He recently entered the final year of his contract with Angers and reportedly drew interest from West Ham United and German side Hamburg before Wrexham moved for him.
The addition of Ekomie would give Parkinson more depth on the left side. Wrexham signed New Zealand international Liberato Cacace from Italian club Empoli in the summer of 2025, but Cacace has been limited by injuries since arriving in north Wales. Ekomie is expected to join Kabore, full-back Danny Imray, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and midfielder Ben Whiteman in moving to the Racecourse Ground this summer.
Parkinson had described the window as a difficult one. Prior to his side's 1-1 draw with Watford in the Championship, he said deals for various players had fallen through. His comments after the Watford match suggested the picture had changed, with the Kabore and Ekomie moves now both close to completion.
Kabore operated as a wing-back for Wrexham last season despite being a natural right-back. His eight assists from that position made him one of the club's most productive players going forward. Securing him on a permanent basis removes the uncertainty of another loan arrangement and gives Parkinson a proven contributor locked in for the long term.
Wrexham have moved through the lower divisions quickly in recent seasons and are now competing in the Championship. The signings of Kabore and Ekomie would represent meaningful investment in the squad as the club looks to establish itself at that level.
