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Dean Keates believes there is little chance of Wrexham landing a glamour tie against a Serie A side, but is still hopeful of taking his team on a pre-season tour to Italy this summer.

The proposed trip to Italy would be part of an agreement with kit manufacturer Macron, the Dragons enduring a four-day pre-season training camp, with a match against a Serie B or Serie C side in the middle.

“There is a possibility (of a pre-season match) in the pipeline, date-wise it isn’t set in stone,” said Keates. “I’ve got the dates that it possibly could be, to figure into the pre-season and what we are looking at doing.

“I know when it is about, but have I been told it is 100% yet? No, so it is just a case of waiting to be told the exact (date) and if it is a yes or a no.

“The feedback we got while out there in Italy from the Macron reps that we spoke to, they (Italian clubs) are not as organised as us. We are already looking to get ours (pre-season) sorted, they said it doesn’t happen like that in Italy, not unless you are in Serie A.

(Image: Jim Roberts)

“Game-wise there were a few names mentioned to us, but the one thing it won’t be is a Serie A team. That time of year and how hot it is, they all go up into the Alps for altitude training, so it will be a Serie B or Serie C team.”

Keates also confirmed there would be no home pre-season games this summer - for a second year in succession - with the pitch needing time to settle and bed in after being dug up following two concerts at the Racecourse.

Wrexham AFC are staging UB40 on Friday, May 26 and Olly Murs on Saturday, June 24.

The Dragons boss added: “We don’t get the pitch back until two days after the last concert, so it has got to be ripped up and re-seeded.

“All being well we can get some hot weather and get the sun on it. We can water it, but we can’t put the heat on it, so all being well we get a dry summer and the pitch will be fine.”