MANAGERLESS Wrexham have been given the green light to approach Jan Molby as long as they agree to pay up his contract at Kidderminster Harriers.

Former Swansea City manager Molby is believed to be on a shortlist drawn up by Wrexham since last week's departure of the long-serving Brian Flynn.

Barry Horne, the former Wrexham player and Wales captain, Dean Saunders and Eddie Niedzwiecki are also in the running, but the Dragons board would prefer a proven candidate with the club stuck in the Second Division relegation zone.

Molby, who took Kidderminster into the Football League by employing the same attractive brand of football he developed at Swansea, and Shrewsbury Town's former Wales captain, Kevin Ratcliffe, both fall into that category

But cash-strapped Wrexham would have to put substantial compensation packages together to secure either Molby or Ratcliffe as Flynn's successor.

However, sources close to Molby - who has three years left of a £60,000-per-year contract - suggest that he would be keen on taking the Wrexham job.

And Kidderminster's Welsh-born chairman, Lionel Newton, says that he would not stand in Molby's way as long as his Third Division club was compensated.

"As far as I'm concerned Jan's got three years left of his contract and I expect him to stay here as our manager," said Newton, who hails from Pontyclun.

"He's done a great job here but we're still building and there's a lot of work to be done. Jan's working hard on the team we want to consolidate in the Third Division.

"But I've said to Jan that I would never stand in the way of his career. If he felt another club was right for him and he wanted to go then it would be up to him. But that club would have to pay compensation on his contract."

Molby, whose family home on Merseyside is not far from Wrexham, has previously been linked with Barnsley, and also Coventry City this season after the departure of Gordon Strachan.

But Newton said that the only club Molby has spoken to in his time as Kidderminster manager has been Wigan Athletic.

"The only official approach we had about Jan was from Wigan last year," he said. "Jan went up to see them but turned the job down.

"He does seem to get linked with every job going and that's understandable because of his profile and the great job he's done here.

"It's difficult with the strong physical sides we play. But we do try to play football and Jan's profile has created a lot of interest in the club that we wouldn't have had if he hadn't been here.

"With respect to Jan, I feel the step up to someone like Coventry and the First Division would probably be too big at this stage of his career in management.

"But we've had no official approach from Wrexham and I would remind them that they can't speak to him until they speak to me because of his contract."