Luton Town are reportedly on the verge of signing AIK Fotboll holding midfielder Lamine Fanne, but the player will seemingly not join up with Rob Edwards’ side until January.
That is according to Swedish outlet Expressen, who report that the two clubs have reached an agreement over a transfer for an initial £3.7m, with bonuses that could reach around £5m in the future, while AIK also has the right to a resale clause.
The same report claims that the 20-year-old is set to fly to London today to complete a medical and sign a contract at the Hatters, but he will not be joining up with his new teammates just yet, and instead is set to play out the current Allvenskan season with AIK up to November, then officially begin playing for Luton in January.
Fanne’s rapid rise to the top
Despite being a relative unknown in English football, Luton fans can begin to get excited about the prospect of Fanne arriving at Kenilworth Road as he continues his impressive ascent from playing in the fifth division of Spanish football just over a year ago.
The Senegalese-born Spanish midfielder only joined AIK last March from Club Esportiu Constància of the Tercera Federación Group 11, and did not make an appearance in his first season in Sweden, and instead featured on the bench as an unused substitute eight times across the campaign.
He began this season on the bench once again, but soon made his debut for the club in May, seven games into the campaign, and soon became a key part of the team under Henning Berg, interim boss Henok Goitom, and new permanent manager Mikkjal Thomassen.
Fanne has made nine starts in the last 10 games for the club, and has fast become one of their most important players as their form has picked up, while even chipping in with his first goal contribution in professional football after picking up an assist in a 2-1 defeat to Kalmar F.F.
Fanne is sure to develop into an even better player if AIK continue their impressive form into the back end of this season, and could slot straight into Rob Edwards’ midfield upon arrival in January, depending on how the team is getting on at that moment in time.
Luton are still looking for midfield additions
Despite being increasingly busy in the transfer market as deadline day edges ever closer, Fanne’s deal is slightly different as he will seemingly not be immediately joining Edwards’ squad for the next few months.
Luton have looked to bolster their midfield this summer after the departures of the likes of Ross Barkley, Luke Berry and Allan Campbell, and have so far brought in Shandon Baptiste, Liam Walsh and Tom Krauss, with further signings looking unlikely with such little time in the window left.
The Hatters have endured a tough start to life back in the Championship after relegation from the Premier League last season, with three losses and one draw in four games in all competitions so far – Edwards has mainly used Baptiste and Jordan Clark as his midfield pairing so far, with Marvelous Nakamba only just returning from injury this week.
Long-serving midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu has only played six minutes so far this season, despite being fully fit, so his potential exit soon could leave a gap for a similar player like Fanne to fill when he joins in January.
It remains to be seen whether he will join now or in the winter window, but Luton fans may hope it is the former, with their club in poor form and in need of more new faces to kickstart their season.
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