Gareth Bale, Daniel Sturridge & Danny Rose - 13 players Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney could sign for Wrexham in the transfer window

The wheels are already in motion for this audacious swoop...

Earlier this week, Gareth Bale sent his congratulation to McElhenney following Wrexham's promotion. Never one to miss an opportunity, the Robins' owner then vowed to convince the four-time Champions League winner to come out of retirement for one final "magical season".

To be honest, though, a miracle will be required to tempt Bale away from the golf course for the bright lights of Gillingham away on a bitterly-cold Tuesday night. However, the Wales legend did not completely rule the idea out when he responded to McElhenney.

Soon after, Reynolds joined the fray, bizarrely promising to shave a golf course into his co-owners' back hair if Bale joined.

Hmm, maybe we don't want to see this transfer happen after all.

Bale is not the only Welsh hero who has been flirting with Wrexham's A-list owners since their promotion was confirmed.

Hal Robson-Kanu - who starred for Chris Coleman's side at Euro 2016 - has also thrown his hat into the ring, saying: "Look Wrexham have done phenomenally well and massive credit to Ryan Reynolds and the whole team down there.

"From my perspective, being able to offer my services to the club, I'm in unique position, which is quite nice. I'm a free agent and I have been for the last two years. I've not officially announced my retirement, but again I'm 33 years of age. What they've done is fantastic. I'm happy to have a conversation and as I said, I'd be happy to donate any salary I receive to charity as well."

That's not a bad deal. Surely the forward is worth a punt in League Two?

Avert your eyes Notts County fans.

Only one player has outscored the unstoppable Mullin in the National League this season: Macaulay Langstaff.

Of course, the 'non-league Erling Haaland' would prefer to make his Football League return with the Magpies, but if they cannot successfully navigate the lottery of the play-offs, would he really wait around in the fifth-tier for another season?

Just imagine Mullin and Langstaff together up front. That would be quite the spectacle.

Once again Notts County fans, please look away.

Ruben Rodrigues has been proving himself to be too good for non-league ever since he joined the Magpies in 2020.

It's been another productive season this time around, with the forward notching over 30 goal contributions to go with the 19 goals and nine assists he managed during the 2021-22 campaign.

Much like with Langstaff, another season in the National League is unlikely to appeal. Could both of them jump ship this summer? Notts County will be praying they stick around, regardless of how the play-offs go.

With Ben Foster's future in serious doubt, Wrexham could be in need of a new goalkeeper for the 2023-24 season - and Nathan Ashmore is the perfect fit.

For nearly a decade now, Ashmore has been described as the best shot-stopper outside the EFL, and now that he is into his thirties, it is finally time for someone to offer him a shot at the big time.

He began forging his glittering reputation at Gosport Borough, helping them secure back to back promotions through the play-offs as well as a miraculous FA Trophy final appearance in 2014.

Moves to Ebbsfleet and Boreham Wood have followed, and he has helped the latter register the best defensive record in the National League this season.

Danny Rose has endured a difficult few months. He has been out of the game since parting ways with Watford by mutual consent in September 2022, despite still only being 32.

Recently, he returned to the public eye while working as a pundit for Sky Sports' coverage of Tottenham's embarrassing 6-1 defeat to Newcastle. During the game, he opened up on his recent struggles.

"It's obviously no secret I've been away from football and I've deliberately not watched any football. I didn't watch any of the World Cup," he revealed. "It was only until the other night I watched City in the Champions League - and watching it, listening to the music, I started to think 'OK I miss it'.

"I haven't been to a stadium in a long time and the feelings, you know, I love football, is a lot to do with the atmosphere, but just seeing how they play football and that feeling after three points has just reignited some feelings within myself."

What better place for the 29-time England international to rekindle his love for the beautiful game than in north Wales?

Another ex-England international who is in need of a career resurgence is Danny Drinkwater.

The Premier League winner from Leicester City has been a free agent since Chelsea released him in 2022, a decision which finally ended a disastrous spell at Stamford Bridge.

Both on and off the field, nothing went right for Drinkwater after he made the £35 million ($43.7m) switch to west London, and a series of loan spells failed to spark him back to life.

He's been out the game for a long time now, but recently revealed that he is keeping himself in "good shape" while spending time with his two sons.

Dropping down to League Two may be hard to take, but he doesn't have to be there long if he applies himself properly and Wrexham continue their upwards trajectory.

Daniel Sturridge has not played since April 2022, with spells in Turkey and Australia sandwiched between a four-month ban for gambling offences.

During his time away from the field, he has pivoted into content creation, appearing as a television analyst and populating his social media accounts with lovably-mental pieces of punditry.

In these clips, Sturridge manages to address every footballing debate to the tune of a pop song. The man has talent.

If there's any club where Sturridge can balance any outstanding on-pitch ambitions with his social media career, it's Wrexham. Their goalkeeper literally played with a GoPro strapped to his chest in one game this season for goodness sake!

When Tom Heaton joined Manchester United in 2021, he boldly stated that he still had "an awful lot to give", dismissing claims that he was simply coming in as a back up. Since then, he's played just three times.

His contract is up in the summer and even if David de Gea does seem likely to leave, it's fanciful to think that he'll be the man to take the number-one jersey next season.

The 37-year-old may fancy one more adventure - and one more promotion - before hanging up his gloves, and the Chester-born stopper might well find that on his doorstep at Wrexham next campaign.

Charlie Austin has proved he still possesses the skills to contribute in League Two this season, averaging a goal every two games since returning to Swindon Town from Brisbane Roar in December.

He is only on a short-term deal in Wiltshire however, and has a decision to make about his future this summer.

Austin would provide leadership in the Wrexham dressing room and also knows what it takes to secure promotion, helping QPR reach the Premier League in 2014. He might not be a starter every week, but his experience would be a useful addition in what is set to be a gruelling campaign.

Junior Tchamadeu has been in outstanding form this season, starring for Colchester United and being named in the League Two Team of the Year.

The 19-year-old is a flying right-back and will be targeted by a host of clubs in higher divisions this summer.

Wrexham would do well to get in early and snap up the hot prospect. His value is only set to skyrocket over the coming seasons and he has already proved he is comfortable operating in the fourth tier.

Wrexham have previous for poaching the League Two top scorer, doing the same with Mullin in 2021.

Next in their crosshairs could be Andy Cook, who has been starring for Mark Hughes' Bradford City this campaign. The Bantams still have a chance of earning promotion through the play-offs which may hinder Wrexham's plans, while Cook has also expressed how happy he is at Valley Parade.

Money talks, though, and the Red Dragons' project is an alluring prospect for any player in the lower leagues right now.

Alfie May has been long linked with a move to the Racecourse Ground. The hard-working centre-forward is on track to record 20+ goals in each of the past two seasons and earned praise from Pep Guardiola when his Cheltenham side faced off against Manchester City in the FA Cup fourth round in 2021.

"May is an exceptional player with the quality to keep the ball, a fighter," the City boss said after that game.

Phil Foden agreed with his manager's assessment, telling Match of the Day: "He's their most influential player and I said to him that he had a great game and that his team did well."

Cheltenham have been treading in water in League One this season and May favour being involved in a promotion push under Phil Parkinson instead.