Wrexham Secures Issa Kabore Deal from Manchester City
Wrexham are closing in on a permanent deal for Issa Kabore from Manchester City, turning last season’s standout loanee into a cornerstone of Phil Parkinson’s plans – and they are not stopping there.
The Welsh club are also set to land left-back Jacques Ekomie from Angers, a double move that would reshape both flanks ahead of another crack at the Championship.
Kabore finally cuts the cord with City
For Kabore, this is the end of a long road.
Seven loan spells. Zero senior appearances for Manchester City. Now, at 25, he is about to walk away from the Etihad for good.
The deal is worth up to £4.75m, with City inserting a 20% sell-on clause and matching rights to protect any future upside. It underlines how highly Wrexham value the Burkina Faso international after his impact last season.
Kabore featured 32 times in all competitions for the Red Dragons in 2025-26 and became a driving force down the right. His eight Championship assists were more than any other Wrexham player, a remarkable return for a defender operating as an attacking wing-back.
He announced himself in style. On debut at Carrow Road, Kabore delivered two assists in a 3-2 win over Norwich City, immediately setting the tone for his loan spell and giving Wrexham a new dimension in wide areas.
He quickly became a mainstay under Parkinson, only halted by a hamstring injury picked up on international duty during the November break. The setback stalled his momentum, but not for long.
Kabore returned on the biggest stage available to him, featuring again for Burkina Faso at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, before re-establishing himself in Wrexham’s side in the second half of the season.
His journey to this point has been nomadic. After joining City from Mechelen in 2020 and heading straight back to the Belgian club on loan, he embarked on a tour of Europe: Troyes, Marseille, Luton Town, Benfica, Werder Bremen. Wrexham became the latest stop when he arrived on transfer deadline day last September.
Now it looks set to become home.
Ekomie to strengthen the opposite flank
On the other side of the pitch, Wrexham are moving for Jacques Ekomie, who has entered the final year of his contract with Angers.
The Gabon international has drawn interest from West Ham United and Hamburg, but Wrexham are pushing hard to bring him to the Racecourse Ground. His arrival would significantly deepen Parkinson’s options on the left.
Liberato Cacace was signed from Empoli in the summer of 2025 to lock down that position, yet injuries have repeatedly disrupted the New Zealander’s time in north Wales. Ekomie offers both competition and cover, a fresh solution to a problem that has lingered all season.
If the deal is completed, he will join Kabore, full-back Danny Imray, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and midfielder Ben Whiteman in what is shaping into a substantial summer rebuild.
A new-look Wrexham back line
Kabore’s permanent move would give Wrexham continuity in a key role. He already knows the system, already knows the demands, and has already proven he can deliver in the Championship.
For Manchester City, it is the end of a relationship that never quite reached the first team. For Wrexham, it is the kind of signing a club with serious ambitions makes: decisive, expensive by their standards, and built on clear evidence rather than hope.
Add Ekomie on the opposite flank, and Parkinson could soon have the kind of athletic, attacking full-backs that define modern promotion contenders.
The loans are over. The experiments are ending. Wrexham are buying the players they want to build around – and Kabore’s signature would be the clearest sign yet of where this project is heading.
