Reports: Preston North End captain Ben Whiteman wanted by Championship side
Interest in PNE’s skipper.
Wrexham want to sign Preston North End captain Ben Whiteman, according to reports.
Alan Nixon writes that the fellow Championship club, who finished seventh last season, are lining up a ‘double your money’ offer to Whiteman.
Nixon says an offer ‘of sorts’ has been made, although not in writing yet, for the 30-year-old, adding that PNE are reluctant to sell and would demand a ‘serious’ bid. Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson is said to be a huge fan of the midfielder.
Ben Whiteman has been at North End since January 2021, when he joined from Doncaster Rovers in a deal which club CEO Peter Ridsdale said, at the time, was a club-record fee.
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Whiteman became PNE captain in July 2024 following the departure of Alan Browne. He has made 225 appearances, scoring 13 goals.
Wrexham were taken over by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenny and Ryan Reynolds in September 2020, when the club were in the National League, and have enjoyed a remarkable rise in the past six years.
The Welsh side enjoyed three successive promotion-winning seasons from 2022-23 to 2024-25 and haven’t been shy of spending money since.
The Red Dragons spent around £33m last summer after returning to the second tier, with that figure potentially rising higher when add-ons are factored in.
They have already signed full-back Danny Imray from Crystal Palace this summer, for a fee believed to be in the region of £5m.