LEE JONES yesterday completed a permanent return to his hometown club Wrexham - and then revealed he turned down the offer of more money elsewhere to move to The Racecourse.

The former Wales international, who left the Red Dragons to join Liverpool in a £300,000 deal 10 years ago, rejoined Wrexham from Barnsley on a short-term contract in March.

Jones, 28, who scored all five goals in Wrexham's 5-1 thrashing of Cambridge United in April, made the move permanent yesterday by signing a two-year deal after turning down offers from Bristol Rovers and his former club Tranmere Rovers.

"I could have earned more money at both those clubs but I felt Wrexham would be an ideal move for me," said Jones, who had loan spells at The Race-course in 1996 and 1997 and also played for Crewe.

"For the past two or three years my career has been a bit stop-start but hope-fully I can get some stability at Wrexham.

"When I came back in March I was very impressed with the ground, the training facilities and with the manager, Denis Smith.

"Things have changed since I was last at the club and I'm looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead."

Smith, who yesterday also tied Wales Under-21 midfielder Stephen Thomas to a further two-year deal, believes Jones will help his relegated side make an instant return to Division Two next season.

And the Wrexham-born striker, who made two substitute appearances for Wales against Scotland and Turkey, is convinced the Dragons can make a positive impact on the Third Division.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't think we'll win the championship by 20 or 30 points," he said. "It won't be easy, but I feel there's enough quality in the squad to win promotion.

"It was great to score five past Cambridge and I'd like to add a lot more next year. The club has missed a regular goalscorer since Gary Bennett was there and hopefully I can be the man."

Smith, who revealed he has several other players on the verge of joining Wrexham, was determined to secure Jones's signature after the striker's impressive six-goal haul at the end of last season.

"To tie Lee down on a two-year deal is a major achievement for the club," said Smith.

"I hope it shows to supporters and players alike that we are not going to sit back next season. We want to be among the challengers for promotion and this is a major step in the right direction."