Wrexham Sign Issa Kabore and Jacques Ekomie in Double Defensive Move

Wrexham have completed the permanent signings of Issa Kabore from Manchester City and Jacques Ekomie from Angers, BBC Sport reported. Kabore has agreed a three-year contract after spending last season on loan with the Welsh club, while Ekomie has signed a four-year deal. The two defenders are Wrexham's fourth and fifth senior additions of the summer transfer window.

The agreement for Kabore is worth up to £4.75 million, with Manchester City retaining a 20 percent sell-on clause and matching rights. The Burkina Faso international made 32 appearances in all competitions for Wrexham during the 2025-26 campaign. He produced eight assists in the Championship, the highest total in the squad, despite missing time after suffering a hamstring injury on international duty in November.

Kabore first joined City from Belgian club Mechelen in 2020 but did not make a senior appearance for the English club. His development included loan spells with Mechelen, Troyes, Marseille, Luton Town, Benfica and Werder Bremen before his temporary move to Wrexham in September 2025. The 55-cap international returned from injury during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and then resumed a prominent role for Wrexham in the second half of the club season.

Ekomie arrives for an undisclosed fee after entering the final year of his Angers contract. The 23-year-old Gabon international began his professional career at Bordeaux and moved to Angers in 2024. He made 21 appearances across all competitions in his first season there, then featured in 32 of the club's 34 Ligue 1 matches in 2025-26, starting 25 of them.

His arrival adds a natural left-back to manager Phil Parkinson's options. Liberato Cacace, recruited from Empoli in 2025, has struggled with injuries and started only eight of Wrexham's 46 league games last season. Cacace has also missed the club's first three matches in all competitions this term, leading midfielder George Thomason to cover as a makeshift wing-back. Kabore, meanwhile, restores an established option on the right alongside summer recruit Danny Imray.

Parkinson said Wrexham were pleased to bring Kabore back after a successful loan and described Ekomie's transfer as one the club had worked hard to complete. The pair join Imray, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and midfielder Ben Whiteman among the summer arrivals at the Racecourse Ground. Parkinson has not guaranteed further business before the September 1 deadline, although BBC Sport reported that midfield and forward additions remain possible.