Rangers Pursue Windass for Third Time as Wrexham Resists
Rangers are back at the door of a familiar house, and this time they are knocking loudly.
According to talkSPORT, the Ibrox club have formalised their interest in Wrexham forward Windass ahead of the summer window, launching a fresh attempt to bring him back to Glasgow. It is the third time they have tried to re-sign a player who pulled on the blue shirt 73 times between 2016 and 2018.
The difference now? The man leading the chase knows exactly what he is buying.
Rohl turns to a trusted lieutenant
Danny Rohl is driving this move. The Rangers manager worked closely with Windass at Sheffield Wednesday, where the forward thrived under his watch and plundered 50 goals. Rohl wants a trusted finisher to spearhead an attacking rebuild after a bruising campaign that ended with Rangers in third place in the Scottish Premiership, trailing both Celtic and Hearts.
He is not just tweaking his front line. He is ripping it up and starting again. Windass sits at the top of that list, a proven goalscorer Rohl believes can handle the demands and scrutiny at Ibrox.
The pursuit of Windass runs alongside advanced talks for Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland, underlining the scale of the planned overhaul. Goals have become non-negotiable. Rangers intend to buy them.
Wrexham’s star man in no rush to leave
There is one major obstacle. Wrexham do not want to sell.
Windass has just been crowned the club’s Player of the Season after a campaign that rewrote the record books at the Racecourse Ground. He delivered five assists and a club-record 16 Championship goals in 41 league appearances, driving a side that only narrowly missed out on the play-offs.
That form has made him the poster boy of the Hollywood-backed rise in North Wales, and he has not been shy about his commitment to the project. Speaking to talkSPORT earlier this month, he underlined where his head is.
"Yeah, I signed a three-year deal in the summer. I feel like I had a really good year this year, and yeah, hopefully next year we can go one better."
Those are not the words of a player agitating for a move. They are the words of a forward who sees unfinished business where he is.
Contract power and cold numbers
The contract situation strengthens Wrexham’s hand even further. Windass is tied down until 2028, giving the Red Dragons enormous leverage in any negotiations. They already flexed that muscle in January, rejecting a formal mid-season approach from Rangers and sending a clear message that they would not be bullied into a sale.
For now, that stance has not softened. Transfer specialist Ben Jacobs reports that formal club-to-club talks have not yet begun, even as Rangers’ interest hardens into something more concrete.
Wrexham’s ownership, ambitious and well backed, are preparing a squad they believe can take the final step into the Championship play-offs next season. Letting their most prolific attacker leave on the cheap would run against everything they are trying to build.
Any offer will need to reflect his numbers, his status, and his contract. Bargains will not be entertained.
A tug-of-war with high stakes
So the stage is set. On one side, a Rangers side under pressure, smarting from finishing behind Celtic and Hearts, and desperate to inject goals and personality into a blunt attack. On the other, a rising Wrexham, determined not to let a central figure in their story be written out just as the plot thickens.
Rangers know Windass. Windass knows Rangers. Rohl knows exactly what he is asking his board to deliver.
Now the question is simple: who blinks first – the club that wants its former forward back, or the club that cannot afford to lose the man who just fired them to the brink of something bigger?
