Pavel Sulc reveals why he rejected a stunning £35m move to Wrexham

Pavel Sulc has explained why he chose to stay at Lyon despite Wrexham being prepared to make a remarkable £35m move for the Czech midfielder during the summer transfer window.

Wrexham’s rapid transformation under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has allowed the Championship club to pursue players and deals that would have seemed almost impossible a few years ago.

Sulc was one of those targets, with Wrexham reportedly willing to make a huge financial commitment to bring the 25-year-old to Wales.

Despite the size of the proposed deal, Sulc decided that a move to the Championship was not the right step for him.

Speaking to Seznam Zpravy, the Lyon midfielder confirmed that Wrexham had made the biggest offer for his services after other approaches failed to meet Lyon’s valuation.

However, the Czech international admitted that the club’s remarkable story and financial power were not enough to convince him.

“Honestly? Wrexham is a cult club with a Hollywood fairytale story, but I didn’t feel like going to the Championship or a small town in Wales,” Sulc said.

“I hope that doesn’t sound too condescending.”

Wrexham were ready to make a statement

The reported £35m figure shows just how far Wrexham’s ambitions have come since Reynolds and McElhenney took control of the club.

Sulc had only joined Lyon from Viktoria Plzen ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, but his first season in France quickly attracted attention.

He finished the campaign with 14 goals and seven assists in 40 appearances across all competitions, while also establishing himself as an important player for the Czech Republic.

His performances brought interest from several clubs, with Juventus among those linked with the attacking midfielder.

Wrexham were reportedly prepared to go further financially than any of the other interested clubs, making the proposed move particularly eye-catching.

Had the deal gone through, it would have been one of the clearest demonstrations yet of Wrexham’s new financial muscle.

Juventus offered a different attraction

Money, however, was not the deciding factor for Sulc.

The midfielder has already established himself in one of Europe’s major leagues and evidently wanted his next move to represent a sporting step forward.

Sulc’s reaction to Juventus illustrates the difference.

The possibility of playing for the Italian giants was enough to make him dream about the move, with the club’s history, reputation and surroundings proving attractive.

Juventus ultimately did not match the financial level Wrexham were prepared to offer, but Sulc still opted to remain with Lyon.

His decision means Wrexham had to look elsewhere as they continued strengthening their squad following their push for promotion.

The club eventually added Callum O’Hare among their attacking options, but the failed pursuit of Sulc remains a striking example of the new level at which Wrexham are operating.

They can now contemplate transfer fees that would once have been unimaginable for the club.

The challenge is convincing players that the sporting project is worth choosing over established clubs in Europe’s top divisions.

For Sulc, the answer was ultimately no. Wrexham’s Hollywood story and financial ambition caught his attention, but neither was enough to persuade him that the Championship was the right destination for his career.