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Manchester United will be lining up against another former star this season as Tahith Chong has joined newly-promoted Luton Town on a permanent deal from Birmingham City.
Chong was tantatlisingly close to making the grade at Old Trafford, playing 16 times for the senior side, including a 10 minute cameo in the Champions League against Paris Saint Germain.
The Dutchman grabbed two assists in those 16 outings but his young physique was always an issue and he was sent out on loan, first to Werder Bremen, then to Club Brugge and Birmingham.
The Blues were happy with what they saw and signed the then 22 year old for a nominal fee last season.
He played 38 games for the Midlands outfit last term, bagging four goals and registering five assists.
That was enough to interest the Hatters, who have now announced that they have completed the signing for an “undisclosed fee” according to The Athletic.
Transfermarkt.com record a figure of £4 million for the transfer, which coincides with earlier reports from The Athletic but falls short of the potential £10m quoted by Florian Plettenberg.
If that is true, as was reported here earlier in the week (see link above), United stand to gain £1 million of that amount as they inserted a 25% sell-on clause in the contract with the Blues.
Chong has spoken of feeling at home at Kenilworth Road, saying “In the few hours that I’ve been here I already get the feeling that it really is a family club.
“I’m a football fan I’ve watched some games so I’ve seen how they’ve played and it shows togetherness and unity — and you can only have that if you’re a family club.
“I think that’s important because every club faces adversity — it’s not always going to be good — but if you’re a family club you stick through it together and it’s easier as a family” (source: The Athletic).
Letting academy stars leave on permanent deals with high sell-on fees seems to be United’s new modus operandi. They have also included a 30% clause in Ethan Laird’s move to Birmingham and a 40% clause in Zidane Iqbal’s Utrecht switch.
Luton Town complete their first signing of the summer: deal sealed for Tahith Chong. 🇳🇱
£5m plus £5m add ons to Birmingham. pic.twitter.com/EEK6BNzcga
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2023
