Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has linked up with Southend United as the consortium seek to follow Wrexham’s takeover plan

Southend United could be set to follow in Wrexham’s footsteps with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson linked with a TV project about the club.

The Shrimpers are in advanced talks on a takeover deal with local businessmen Simon Jackson and Kristofer Tremains of Kimura Capital and members of Integral Sports Management (ISM).

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According to The Essex Echo, this group has contacted Johnson and his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, regarding a documentary about the club.

Another household name, iconic British actor Ray Winstone, is a co-founder of ISM and may also be involved.

Johnson’s involvement would be a game-changer for the National League club, with the global superstar actor and former wrestler boasting 381 million followers on Instagram and 17 million on Twitter.

The hope would be that his name could see Southend emulate the success of recently promoted National League side Wrexham.

After the Welsh side was taken over by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Wrexham went from strength to strength, leading to promotion to the EFL this term.

Their cause has been aided by the global exposure of the Disney+ documentary, “Welcome To Wrexham,” as well as lucrative partnerships with Tik Tok and Aviation Gin, among others.

Current Southend owner Ron Martin put the Blues up for sale in March, after struggling to provide the club with adequate funding in recent years.

Their slippage from the Football League, failed managerial appointments and financial turmoil have seen fans’ anger towards the president grow and grow, but there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.

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The club released a statement regarding the sale of the club on Friday afternoon, reading: “Following recent speculation regarding the sale of the club, we can confirm that non-disclosure agreements with three interested parties and chief executives terms of reference have been published.

“However, at this time, none of the interested parties have been granted a period of exclusivity.”

A takeover and cash injection would be a huge boost for the Essex club, which survived a liquidation petition earlier this month.

The club’s full-time office staff are still awaiting their salaries for March and April, while manager Kevin Maher has been unable to sign any players due to a transfer embargo in place since September.

This is due to money still owing to HMRC, with the club having until July 12 to repay their remaining £250,000 in tax debt.