Luton Town facing Fulham, Nice, Crystal Palace battle for key defender | OneFootball

The former Manchester United man has been linked with a move away after an impressive Premier League campaign

Highlights

Luton Town defender Teden Mengi is said to be of interest to Ligue 1 side Nice this summer amid links to Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Fulham.

That’s according to a report from Foot Mercato, who claim the French top flight outfit are eying up the Hatters man as a replacement for the seemingly departing Jean-Clair Todibo.

Todibo is said to have been of interest to both West Ham United and Juventus this summer, with the Premier League side already said to have had a €35m rejected.

Once the defender does leave, Nice are said to be considering Mengi as an alternative, with the former Manchester United man also said to be admired by Fulham and Crystal Palace after catching the eye in Town’s recent Premier League campaign.

Fulham and Nice set for transfer battle for Luton Town’s Teden Mengi after impressive Premier League season

With Todibo set to depart Nice and Tosin Adarabioyo already leaving Craven Cottage for Chelsea this summer, both clubs will need reinforcements in the centre of defence for the upcoming campaign.

Despite his side falling back into the Football League at the firs time of asking, Mengi offered plenty of encouraging signs after making the move to Kenilworth Road, as he featured in 30 of the Hatters’ matches in the top flight.

Having come up through the ranks at Old Trafford, the defender has enjoyed a number of loan spells in the EFL to date, with his first stint coming with Derby County in the 2020/21 campaign, where he featured in nine matches for the Rams.

Another spell away in the 2021/22 season saw the then-teenager play a handful of times for Birmingham City, before making the decision to leave the Red Devils for good last summer.

That decision looks to be one that has paid off for the 22-year-old so far, as he established himself as a regular feature in Rob Edwards’ backline during their season in the sun, and earned himself plenty of admirers in doing so.

Mengi’s positioning and anticipation are two traits that saw him stand out during the previous campaign, with his footballing mind helping him to register the third-most interceptions in the league last season (57), and the tenth-most across the big five divisions in Europe.

Teden Mengi, Luton Town valuation, amid Nice, Fulham interest

While Town will be trying their utmost to keep hold of their star man this summer, Foot Mercato believes that Mengi could be available for a fee in the region of €12-14 million this summer.

The Evening Standard have also reported that as well as Palace, Bayer Leverkusen have cast an eye over the defender in the past, which is testament to the level of performance he was regularly putting in for his side.

Although keeping hold of Mengi would no doubt help Luton’s potential promotion push for the upcoming campaign, a potential eight-figure fee for their defender is not one that will be turned down lightly, with big decisions having to be made this summer.

One defender that has already left the club is Gabe Osho, with the 25-year-old linking up with Auxerre in the French top flight after his contract came to an end last month.

The Hatters have also recently announced that former Arsenal youth player Reuell Walters has joined the club, with the teenage talent able to compete for a place at right-back.