Southampton are close to signing Luton’s James Bree, while the Hatters have agreed a replacement loan swoop for Leeds defender Cody Drameh, according to reports.
The Town right back has started every Championship game this term for the Hatters, but his contract expires in the summer and The Athletic have said that a deal could be struck for just £750,000.
He has long been admired by former Hatters boss Nathan Jones, who left the club to join the struggling Premier League outfit in November. During his time in the Kenilworth Road hotseat the Welshman said Bree has “Premier League quality”, and it appears the defender will now get to prove himself in the top-flight, though there has been no official announcement from either club.
Earlier this month when Southampton’s interest in Bree first emerged, new Luton manager Rob Edwards said: “With his situation, there’s always that possibility but what we’ll always do is try and make sure we do what’s right for the football club. And there’s an individual within that, a human being in that as well.
“If an opportunity for that person to be able to improve, kick on and go forward, and if it’s right for the football club, then we’ll always look at that.
“But there’s always a lot of parties involved in these things and it has to be right for everyone.”
Asked if there have been any conversations with Bree, Edwards said: “He knows what I think of him. I think he’s a top lad and a top player. Of course we’d love to keep him at this football club.”
If Bree does end his time with the Hatters it has been reported that the club have already found a replacement in Drameh.
Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Leeds right-back is set to undergo a medical with Luton today ahead of completing a loan deal until the end of the season.
Drameh spent the second half of last season on loan at Cardiff City, but is still contracted to Leeds until 2024.
