Wrexham Set to Secure Double Signing with Kabore and Ekomie
Wrexham are closing in on a statement double swoop, with Issa Kabore set to join permanently from Manchester City and left-back Jacques Ekomie poised to arrive from Angers.
It is a move that underlines where the club are now. And where they intend to go.
Kabore, a key figure in Wrexham’s 2025-26 campaign, looks finally ready to cut the cord with City after seven separate loan spells away from the Etihad. The 25-year-old Burkina Faso international made 32 appearances in all competitions for the Red Dragons last season and became one of Phil Parkinson’s most reliable attacking outlets from wing-back.
His numbers back it up. Eight Championship assists – more than any other Wrexham player.
The deal to turn his stay into a permanent one is worth up to £4.75m, with City inserting a 20% sell-on clause and retaining matching rights. For a player who never made a senior appearance for the Premier League champions, it marks a decisive change of direction. For Wrexham, it is a clear investment in a proven performer rather than another short-term fix.
Kabore’s impact was immediate. On his debut at Carrow Road, he set up two goals in a breathless 3-2 win over Norwich City, announcing himself to the division and to a travelling support that quickly took to his direct running and relentless energy down the right.
He then became a fixture in Parkinson’s side until a hamstring injury on international duty with Burkina Faso during the November break halted his momentum. The setback forced Wrexham to reshuffle, but Kabore’s season was far from over.
He returned on the biggest of stages, featuring for Burkina Faso at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, before re-establishing himself as a key figure in the second half of Wrexham’s campaign. By the end, there was little doubt: if the club could find a way to keep him, they had to.
Kabore’s journey to north Wales has been long and circuitous. Manchester City signed him from Mechelen in 2020, only to send him straight back to the Belgian side on loan. Spells at Troyes, Marseille, Luton Town, Benfica and Werder Bremen followed, each stop a reminder of his potential but never a permanent home. That changed on transfer deadline day last September, when he joined Wrexham and finally found a platform that suited his game.
Now, he is on the brink of making that home official.
On the opposite flank, Wrexham are moving to strengthen again. Jacques Ekomie, the Gabon international left-back, is expected to arrive from Angers as he enters the final year of his contract with the French club. His situation has not gone unnoticed: Championship rivals West Ham United and German side Hamburg also showed interest.
Wrexham are pushing to get it done.
Ekomie’s arrival would be a significant boost for Parkinson’s options on the left. Liberato Cacace was brought in from Empoli in the summer of 2025 to lock down that side, but the New Zealand international has been dogged by injuries since his move to north Wales. The result has been a constant juggling act, with balance on the flanks often depending on Kabore’s form and fitness.
With Ekomie in the building, that picture changes. A natural left-sided defender, he would add depth and competition in an area that has felt fragile for much of the season.
Both Kabore and Ekomie are expected to join a growing list of summer arrivals at the Racecourse Ground. Full-back Danny Imray, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and midfielder Ben Whiteman are already lined up as part of a broader rebuild aimed at turning Wrexham from a compelling story into a hardened Championship force.
The intent is clear. Wrexham are no longer just riding the wave of their rise through the divisions; they are paying serious money to keep and attract players with international pedigree and top-level experience.
Kabore, the 55-cap Burkina Faso international who never kicked a ball for City’s first team, is about to become one of the symbols of that shift.
The question now is simple: with these deals on the verge of completion, how far can this revamped Wrexham side push the Championship next season?
