Wrexham are poised to set a new transfer record as Empoli defender Liberato Cacace nears a move to the STōK Cae Ras.
Wrexham have been measured in the transfer market after promotion to the Championship.
Phil Parkinson has tied up just two signings so far, with Danny Ward and Ryan Hardie signing on the dotted line.
Ward rejoined Wrexham on a free transfer, while Hardie was a bargain £700,000 capture after Plymouth Argyle’s relegation.
Wrexham fans have been waiting for a big splash and it looks set to arrive in the form of a new club-record signing.
Reports from Italy suggest that Wrexham are set to sign Liberato Cacace, with the Empoli left-back nearing a £2.2million move.
Photo by DJ MILLS/AFP via Getty ImagesNew Zealand boss has highlighted Liberato Cacace’s versatility
The deal for Cacace could reach around £2.6million, with the New Zealand international now poised to complete his move.
The 24-year-old broke through with Wellington Phoenix, before shining in Belgium with Sint-Truiden.
Now with Empoli, Cacace suffered relegation to Serie B last season and is now set to join the Wrexham rise.
Wrexham fans will want to know what kind of player is arriving, and New Zealand boss Darren Bazeley has summed it up well.
Speaking to The Post earlier this year, Bazeley noted that Cacace is ‘such a good footballer’ that Empoli deployed him in many different roles.
Bazeley believes that Cacace can truly play anywhere, highlighting that he can comfortably operate as a centre-back, full-back, wing-back or left-winger.
Bazeley praised Cacace as ‘strong’, ‘quick’ and ‘technically very good’, raving about the defender who will soon call the STōK Cae Ras home.
“They’ve picked up a lot of injuries and Libby’s such a good footballer that the coach has been able to use him to plug a few holes,” Bazeley said.
“The last few games he’s been playing centre back, he’s played fullback, wing back, as a 10, not a left wing, but almost an inside wide player.
“He’s strong, he’s quick, technically very good, he can play anywhere,” he added.
Liberato Cacace position breakdown
Cacace is almost certainly being signed to play as a left wing-back for Wrexham, but Bazeley’s comments about his versatility mean he could pop up anywhere.
We dug up a full positional breakdown from Cacace’s career, as seen on Transfermarkt.
Cacace has played 111 games as a left-back, but also 48 as a left wing-back over the course of his career.
Cacace should have no problems slotting into that role at Wrexham, especially having operated as a wing-back on occasion last season.
Intriguingly, Cacace’s third-most common position is as an attacking midfielder, a role in which he played for Empoli last season.
That was a new role for Cacace, but Empoli seemingly saw something in him to deploy him high up the pitch.
The stats show seven games as a centre-back, three games as a left-winger and one game at right midfield, central midfield and defensive midfield.
This really does paint the picture of a truly versatile performer, and Parkinson is seemingly landing a player he can rely on no matter where he plays on the pitch.