James Berry's Chesterfield exit to League One club edging closer

The 24-year-old is having a medical at League One high-flyers Wycombe Wanderers today ahead of a proposed move after a deal was struck. The Chairboys are without a manager but are still in the hunt for players to help with their promotion push.

The winger is set to depart the Spireites after 17 months in which he helped them win the National League title last season, contributing with double-figure goal involvements, and then carrying on his form into this campaign with 10 goals and four assists in all competitions. He is the Blues’ joint top scorer this term alongside Will Grigg.

Berry’s place in the team has not always been guaranteed. He started only nine times in the league last year and 11 so far this time. That makes his goals per minute ratio impressive, but it was also viewed that there were other parts of his game that needed improving. He will leave with plenty of memorable moments, including his eye-catching goals against Crewe, Doncaster Rovers and Morecambe this season.

He was the subject of a bid from Blackpool earlier in the transfer window which was rejected but the Wigan-born man looks set to have got his move to League One with Wycombe, a surprise package this season, second in the table. They lost manager Matt Bloomfield to Luton Town earlier this month. They are owned by Kazakhstan billionaire Mikheil Lomtadze. His wealth is estimated to be around £4.5bn.

The transfer will see Berry continue his rapid rise up the leagues after dropping down them earlier in his career. Just three years ago he was playing in the North West Counties Premier Division, the eighth-tier of English football, with Macclesfield and now he will be featuring in the third-tier.

As for Chesterfield, they could argue it is a perfect example of what a club like them should be doing. They plucked a player from the lower leagues, improved him, he helped them win promotion, and then sold him for a profit. On the flip side, they will have to weigh up how they replace the 17 goals of Berry and Dilan Markanday before the transfer window closes on February 3.