Wigan Athletic leads the race to sign Crewe Alexandra striker Mikael Mandron in January, a report from Football Insider claims.
Mandron has scored seven goals in 26 games in all competitions this season for Crewe, which are rooted in the League One relegation zone.
Now it seems as if the form of the 27-year-old is also attracting attention from further ahead in the third division.
Which club did Wigan sell these 26 players to?
According to this latest update, Wigan is currently in pole position to close a deal for Mandron in the current transfer window.
The Latics are said to be looking for attack protection for the unavailable Charlie Wyke, with Mandron identified as the ideal replacement for the 29-year-old.
If a contract were signed, the DW stadium would not be a completely new environment for the French, who previously played three appearances for the Latics in 2017 at the club.
It is believed that a number of clubs are currently monitoring Mandron, including several from abroad.
As things stand, the forward’s contract with Crewe expires this summer, which means this could be the railroad’s last chance to benefit from him.
The judgment
Looks like it might be a pretty smart business for Wigan.
With Charlie Wyke unable to play for the time being, it looks like Leam Richardson will need to add some extra attack options to his roster to aid his side’s rise.
Given that Mandron found the net for a troubled League One team, he could do so more regularly on a thriving Latics team and help keep the flow of goals at DW going.
The forward’s contract position at Crewe also means he could be affordable for Wigan, which could be worth pursuing for third division promotion hopefuls.
