Man Utd and Chelsea set for pre-season friendlies against Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham
Non-league hopefuls Wrexham are set to play both Manchester United and Chelsea in friendlies in the United States this summer.
Wrexham are co-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who are trying to lead them out of the National League. They need to finish top of the table to gain automatic promotion to League Two and the English Football League (EFL).
The Welsh side are currently second in the National League - five points behind leaders Notts County with two games in hand. Even if they fail to gain promotion this season, they are set to be handed some glamorous friendlies against two Premier League giants.
As reported by The Telegraph, United and Chelsea have been offered the chance to play Wrexham during their pre-season tours of America. It is believed there is a provisional agreement in place for these friendlies, although there is no official confirmation as of yet.
Wrexham's game against Chelsea is poised to be held at the Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on July 19. Phil Parkinson's side could then take on Erik ten Hag's United at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California a week later.
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Although Wrexham play in the fifth tier of English football, they have a growing fanbase in the US thanks to their glamorous owners. Welcome to Wrexham, a documentary series following the club, was released last August and a second series is in the works.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney agreed a takeover of Wrexham in November 2020 (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)What do you make of Wrexham's Hollywood story? Let us know in the comments below!
Reynolds and McElhenney agreed to purchase Wrexham, who have not played in the EFL since 2008, in November 2020. That takeover was finalised in February 2021 and the two Americans have since pumped plenty of money into the minnows.
Wrexham's budget has allowed them to sign EFL-standard players in recent years, such as Ben Tozer, Callum McFadzean, Aaron Hayden, James Jones, Ollie Palmer, Anthony Forde, Eoghan O'Connell, Andy Cannon, Elliot Lee and Mark Howard.
The signing of Paul Mullin was a particular talking point. The forward was signed in the summer of 2021 after scoring 32 goals to fire Cambridge to League Two promotion. But rather than play in the third tier, he dropped into the National League.
Mullin has since scored 67 goals in 83 games for Wrexham. Manager Parkinson has also spent most of his managerial career in the EFL and famously led League Two Bradford to the League Cup final in February 2013 - knocking out Arsenal and Aston Villa.
Wrexham's proposed friendlies against United and Chelsea would likely attract huge global television audiences, such is their growing fanbase. The Welsh club's Hollywood owners aspire to guide them up the English football pyramid over the coming years.
Although Reynolds and McElhenney have big dreams for Wrexham, the reality is they are still a fifth-tier club. Wrexham's next game is against Dorking Wanderers - semi-professional club with a 522-seater stadium - on Saturday afternoon.
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