Luton Town sign Birmingham City star Chong for a reported club record fee

Luton Town are believed to have smashed their transfer record to sign Birmingham City winger Tahith Chong for an undisclosed fee from Championship side Birmingham City.

The 23-year-old was born in Curaçao, but moved to the Netherlands where his football career began in the youth academy at Feyenoord.

He then joined Manchester United’s academy at the age of 16, winning the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year and Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year awards.

A professional debut for the Red Devils followed, during the 2-0 FA Cup win over Reading in January 2019, featuring three more times that season, as he earned a first Premier League outing when coming on for Marcus Rashford in the 3-2 victory over Southampton, plus his Champions League bow in the 3-1 victory at Paris Saint-Germain.

The following year he made 16 appearances for United, including three in the Premier League, as Chong spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Werder Bremen and Club Brugge, where helped the latter to win the Belgian title.

Returning to England, he moved to Championship side Birmingham City for the 2021-22 campaign, playing a starring role in City’s thumping 5-0 win at Kenilworth Road in the early stages of the season.

He went on to play 20 times, scoring once, although saw his time in the Midlands hindered by a serious groin injury which kept him out for over three months.

Last year, he moved to St Andrew’s on a permanent basis for £1.5m, going on to play 41 times, scoring four goals.

Chong becomes Town’s third signing of the summer, following Chiedoze Ogbene and Mads Andersen in moving to Kenilworth Road.