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Viking FK sporting director Erik Nevland has acknowledged that Wrexham have tabled an "extraordinarily large sum of money" in their bid to acquire defender Henrik Falchener.
Wrexham have had two offers for the centre-back turned down by the Norwegian champions, with the most recent reported to be worth a potential $10.9 million package. The Red Dragons shattered their own transfer record earlier this week when they secured Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson for an initial fee of $10.8 million.
Viking are determined to retain Falchener ahead of their Champions League playoff clash against Dinamo Zagreb next week, despite the fact that his sale would break the club's transfer record. That benchmark currently belongs to fellow defender Sondre Langås, who moved to Derby County for approximately $5.4 million last year.
Falchener has featured in 17 matches for Viking this season and earned a place in Norway's World Cup squad. He has earned two senior caps, including a starting role in Norway's 4-1 loss to France at Gillette Stadium in Boston. Viking's next fixture sees them take on Rosenborg on Friday.
Viking Offered Club-Record Fee for Falchener
The Norwegian champions find themselves navigating a challenging situation, facing significant transfer interest in multiple players while simultaneously competing with Bodø/Glimt for the Eliteserien title and chasing Champions League qualification.
Whether Wrexham can ultimately strike a deal for Falchener remains uncertain, but Nevland concedes that any proposal of this scale demands serious consideration.
"We're receiving a great deal of interest in several of our players, yes," Nevland told Stavanger Aftenblad. "At the same time, this is something we anticipated. We know we have players who attract attention.
"The fact that we're declining such substantial offers demonstrates that we want to be as well-equipped as possible for everything that lies ahead on the pitch."
When asked whether it was tough to turn down Wrexham's initial bids for the Norway international, the sporting director continued: "It depends on your definition of 'difficult,' but we're talking about extraordinarily large sums of money. Figures and offers that deserve respect, and that we've never come anywhere near in the club's history.
"You also have to show respect for all parties who are involved and affected when bids of this size are submitted. When offers this significant arrive, we bring everyone together so that the decision can be properly justified.
"It's not a one-man decision. There is a degree of risk involved, but everyone here stands behind the choices we make."
When subsequently asked by fellow Norwegian outlet NTB whether Viking could afford to hold onto Falchener for the remainder of the transfer window, Nevland responded: "We certainly hope we can keep everyone, but naturally there are factors we can't always control. So, we'll have to wait and see how things develop."