Wrexham Set to Sign Issa Kabore Permanently from Manchester City
Wrexham are closing in on the permanent signing of Issa Kabore from Manchester City, turning last season’s loan success into a long-term bet on one of their most influential performers.
The Burkina Faso international, who lit up the right flank as a wing-back, played 32 times in all competitions for the Red Dragons in 2025-26. He didn’t just fill a gap. He drove Wrexham forward. His eight Championship assists were more than any of his team-mates managed, underlining how central he became to Phil Parkinson’s attacking plan.
From serial loanee to permanent fixture
For Kabore, this move would finally close the door on a strange chapter at Man City. Signed from Mechelen in 2020 and immediately loaned back to the Belgian club, he never made a single senior appearance at the Etihad. Instead, his career became a tour of Europe: Troyes, Marseille, Luton Town, Benfica, Werder Bremen – and then, on transfer deadline day last September, Wrexham.
Seven loans. No City debut. Now, at 25, he is on the verge of a permanent exit from a club he never truly called home.
Wrexham, by contrast, felt like home almost instantly.
Kabore’s debut set the tone. Thrown straight in at Carrow Road, he delivered two assists in a thrilling 3-2 win over Norwich City, immediately announcing himself as a key outlet on the right. From that point, Parkinson trusted him. Kabore became a mainstay in the side until a hamstring injury on international duty with Burkina Faso in November halted his momentum.
Injury, recovery and a strong finish
The setback kept him out for a crucial stretch of the season, but he returned on the international stage first, featuring again for Burkina Faso at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. That tournament appearance sharpened him up, and when he came back to club duty in the second half of the campaign, he slotted straight back into Wrexham’s system.
The energy, the overlaps, the delivery from wide areas – all returned. In a side adapting to life in the Championship for the first time in 43 years, Kabore gave them top-level athleticism and end product down the right.
Now, Wrexham are moving to lock that in.
Parkinson’s rebuild gathers pace
Parkinson has not stood still this summer. Full-back Danny Imray, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and midfielder Ben Whiteman have already arrived as Wrexham look to build on last season’s seventh-place finish in the Championship – an impressive return to the second tier after more than four decades away.
Kabore’s permanent signing would further strengthen the wing-back options that are so crucial to Parkinson’s structure. The manager still wants more. A centre-back and an attacking midfielder could follow before the 23:00 BST transfer deadline on 1 September, as Wrexham try to deepen a squad that has already punched above its weight.
On the opposite flank, the club are also eyeing left-back Jacques Ekomie from Angers, a move that would mirror the Kabore deal in giving Wrexham dynamic full-backs on both sides of the pitch.
From story to statement
Right-back by trade, wing-back by role, Kabore symbolises Wrexham’s evolution: a club no longer just happy to be back in the Championship, but intent on staying there and pushing higher. For a player once lost in Manchester City’s loan maze, a permanent deal in North Wales offers something he has rarely had – continuity, responsibility, and a clear role.
Wrexham’s next chapter starts under the lights at the Racecourse Ground on Friday night, when Birmingham City come to town (20:00 BST). If Kabore’s move goes through as expected, he won’t just be another temporary fix on the team sheet.
He’ll be part of the project.
