Wrexham are weighing up a move for the attacking midfielder once seen by Sir Alex Ferguson as a successor to Paul Scholes.
Ferguson paid Crewe Alexandra £6million for Nick Powell 11 years ago but the talented youngster - seen as one of the outstanding English players of his generation - never blossomed at Old Trafford and had loan spells as Wigan Athletic, Leicester City and Hull City before signing a permanent deal with Wigan in 2016.
After three seasons at the DW Stadium, Powell moved to Stoke City but became a free agent at the end of the season having scored 28 goals in 119 appearances for the Potters.
Powell had been one of the biggest earners at the Bet365 Stadium but his time there was interrupted by injury problems.
Despite Wrexham’s Hollywood ownership, Powell would not be able to earn anything like the £16,000 a week he was thought to be on at Stoke City.
And, of course, he would be dropping down a couple of divisions.
But there are suggestions the gifted 29-year-old midfielder - once regarded as one of the best players to come through Crewe’s youth system - is looking for a new challenge in his career.
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While Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney spoke - probably only half-jokingly - about trying to persuade Gareth Bale out of retirement, manager Phil Parkinson knows the club have to be more realistic and also operate within financial fair play rules.
And while Powell would command decent wages and would be on a par with star striker Paul Mullin in salary terms, he is an ideal target for the League Two club.
