Town are closing in on the signing of Luton Town winger Chiedozie Ogbene, TWTD understands.

News that the Blues were targeting the 27-year-old emerged yesterday and we understand the move had made swift progress with the fee believed to be around £8 million.

Ogbene joined the Hatters last summer having spent the previous four seasons with Rotherham United.

In 2023/24, the Republic of Ireland international made 20 starts and 10 sub appearances in the Premier League, scoring four goals and picking up one assist.

A move for another primarily right-sided forward might be viewed as a surprise with the Blues having Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson for the role, although with the Welshman currently out with a hamstring injury.

Ogbene, who has been linked with Town in previous transfer windows, is versatile and can also be played wide on the left - where Nathan Broadhead is currently absent, also due to a hamstring problem - or as a number 10.

The 5ft 11in tall wideman had a trial at Portman Road in January 2018 when a Limerick player alongside Barry Cotter but unlike his compatriot didn’t win a contract. However, another trial spell the same month yielded a deal with Brentford.

Town look to have all but completed their summer business with a loan move for Chelsea striker Armando Broja up in the air due to achilles issues which emerged during his medical on Wednesday, although looking more likely than appeared to be at the weekend.

The club has been working on their due diligence and adjusting the paperwork since then, presumably to mitigate their risk with the deal set to become a permanent switch worth £30 million next summer should the Blues stay up.

Town already have 27 players who qualify for their 25-man Premier League squad even before any further additions meaning several players will have to move on or not be available for league games.

Freddie Ladapo seems certain to move on, while George Edmundson would also appear on the way out following the signing of Dara O’Shea.

Others, such as Ali Al-Hamadi, Marcus Harness and Cieran Slicker, could be set for loans before the window closes.

Photo: Matchday Images

Monkey_Blue added 11:55 - Aug 27 Express pace but lacks a little on finished product… I wouldn’t put it past McKenna to improve this aspect of his game. I think Harness could do a job on the right but I’ll trust the people who are paid to make these decisions given they have an exceptional record the last 2 or so years.
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poet added 11:55 - Aug 27 Played for Rotherham, not a great club to have on your resumé. Having said that, he’s since built up a good reputation with Luton. He’s quick, that’s an excellent asset to have. Could be a very good signing.
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Bazza8564 added 12:21 - Aug 27 I think this move say more about who. might be moving on rather than just who is coming in. We have Szmodicz, Jack, Omari, Broady, Wes, Chappers, Harness and Ogbene (8 in total) vying for 2 or 3 places so expect one if not two to move on. Harness plus one i guess.....
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Linkboy13 added 12:22 - Aug 27 Im probably in the minority but after that fantastic day against Huddersfield when we won promotion back to the premier league there was a touch of sadness that we were leaving the championship after a season of brilliant entertainment. Also i knew the team that gave us all that entertainment would be broken up. McKenna now has a massive job trying to build virtually a new team in a very short time. Anybody else in charge i would be very worried but the way he organised the team in such a quick time when he arrived was exceptional. I remember saying to my mate after 10 minutes of the home game against Wycombe who were a good side at the time this is more like it every man in a blue shirt knew exactly what they were doing and we never looked losing the man a genius COYB.

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blues1 added 13:28 - Aug 27 Carlo88 Luton fans having a chuckle? Really?Strange how fans love a player when he's there but say he's rubbish when hes leaving. Wonder why that could be?
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blues1 added 13:31 - Aug 27 Billericay12. And where was Wes Burns playing up until 2021?
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inghamspur added 13:37 - Aug 27 Oggy Oggy Oggy, oi oi oi?
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arc added 14:19 - Aug 27 From my Luton friend... "He blows hit and cold tbh. Was great at the start of last season - then was injured and not so good anymore. "Problem might be he’s playing as a RWB when he’s more of an attacking inside right or even inside left… "If we were wealthy you’d keep him as cover/sub. If a PL offers him a role and us a fair value we would obvs let him go without too much fuss, I imagine."

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Cakeman added 17:06 - Aug 27 Linkboy13, I fully agree. Winning The Championship was the end of a wonderful mini era. Sadly as you mention the team was always going to be broken up. I expected Four or Five players to come in not Ten or Eleven. Tough task to keep that lot happy. Reaching the promised land was a great achievement and only time will tell how we shall do. My own thoughts are that if Kieran can quickly identify a preferred starting eleven we may finish half-way. The players we have are good enough for that I believe.

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dieselmorris added 18:41 - Aug 27 is he the new kyle edwards?
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Bert added 19:06 - Aug 27 With all these additions, KMcK is going to have to use all his tools and leadership skills to blend a squad. I have no doubt that he is the man to do it but we must all be patient and not expect to see the outcomes we all want for a few weeks or months. We must be patient as he builds a squad that is sustainable for the future.
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BobbyinBlue added 20:15 - Aug 27 What about a bit of Justin Bieber? Bene, bene, bene, ohh Og-bene, bene, bene, ohh Og-bene, bene, bene, ohh Running it down the line, line
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blueboy1981 added 20:29 - Aug 27 This all proves how important actually STAYING in the Prem’ is to the Owners of ITFC. It is a MUST achieve - and they will be concerned, although against such opposition, we have no points on the board from two games. And didn’t look like doing so !! They will be ruthless if that is what it takes - their investment is NOT for Championship level, mark my words - and prepare for shocks if needed !!

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BurleysGloryDays added 21:55 - Aug 27 Juggsy’s analysis is pretty much right for me, Chappers and Burns both looked like they might struggle to kick on at the level - but remembering that it’s been Champions League level so far that’s hardly a surprise. And both will be and should be competitive squad players that can still have an impact in various ways, they’re both smart guys and both have some v strong attributes. They’reTown legends (and will have a big role to play again if we go down). I enjoyed both openers, and would say so far we have clearly lacked composure. Which comes from confidence, quality, or both. Still very very early days. Fulham will be so interesting as their second string whipped us last season! An early measure of progress (albeit,probably too early to be that insightful!)

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Help added 22:31 - Aug 27 Not in the Luton squad tonight
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Billericay12 added 22:37 - Aug 27 Blues1, I agree that Burns has been an exceptional signing and has proved he can adjust and cope at a higher level each time we got promoted and we only paid a very small fee for him (150 - 200k I believe). The fee for Ogbene could be around 8 Million though !
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Billericay12 added 22:37 - Aug 27 Blues1, I agree that Burns has been an exceptional signing and has proved he can adjust and cope at a higher level each time we got promoted and we only paid a very small fee for him (150 - 200k I believe). The fee for Ogbene could be around 8 Million though !
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