Crystal Palace and Fulham rumoured to be interested in Hatters defender

Luton defender Teden Mengi is believed to be interesting Town’s Premier League rivals Fulham and Crystal Palace, according to Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 21-year-old joined the Hatters back in August after being allowed to leave Manchester United following 14 years at Old Trafford, where he represented the club at every level, including captaining the U18s and going on to make two first team appearances. Mengi made his Hatters debut in the Carabao Cup defeat at Exeter, as although originally signed as a player for the future, injuries saw him come off the bench for his Premier League bow in the 2-1 win at Everton.

The ex-England youth international then got his first start in the 2-1 home defeat to Burnley, as despite a late cameo in the 1-0 home defeat against Spurs, he was back in the starting line-up for the 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest, going on to begin the Hatters’ last 11 top flight matches, netting his first goal in the 2-1 win over the Eagles. Mengi has delivered some terrific performances in that time too, as Luton kept a first clean sheet in the 1-0 victory over Newcastle United just before Christmas, the centre half now leading the way with 1.9 interceptions per game, also averaging 3.9 clearances and 1.8 tackles too.

With his displays clearly catching the eye of other top tier clubs, Romano tweeted today: “Understand Fulham and Crystal Palace are now following Luton Town’s CB Teden Mengi for the future. He has become one of PL promising youngsters by leading U-21 players with the highest percentage of defensive duels won in Europe’s top 5 leagues this campaign.”

Town chief Rob Edwards has already stated that he won't be looking to weaken his squad during the January transfer window as he attempts to lead the Hatters to Premier League safety, which means keeping Mengi will be high on his list of things to do. He said: “We won’t be letting any people go if we don’t think it’s right for the football club, and if we do look to bring people in, it’s only to strengthen us.

“We’re not going to weaken ourselves, we want to retain our Premier League status. I want the group to be together and all fighting for the same thing. That’s going to mean keeping this group together because there’s a unique bond and a spirit here and we’re stronger with everyone in it and together.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​