Akpom is on the radar of the Hatters following their promotion to the Premier League
The 27-year-old came back from the wilderness at Boro last summer to be given a chance by former manager Chris Wilder, but he became central to Michael Carrick’s attack when he became head coach, excelling in a withdrawn role at the top end of the pitch.
Akpom ended the 2022-23 season with 29 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions for Middlesbrough, but despite striking a fruitful relationship in the second half of the season with Aston Villa loanee Cameron Archer, the pair drew a blank in the Championship play-off semi-final against Coventry City as the Sky Blues downed the Teessiders 1-0.
That prevented Boro from returning to the Premier League for the first time in six years, and in turn it has put Akpom’s future at the Riverside Stadium in doubt.
What is Chuba Akpom’s current Middlesbrough situation?
As documented plenty of times, Akpom only has one year remaining on his Middlesbrough contract, with the club opting to trigger his one-year optional extension in January when the ex-Arsenal striker was showing good goalscoring form.
However, Premier League and foreign interest was shown that month from various clubs, including Crystal Palace and Everton, and the only way to pretty much secure Akpom’s long-term future at Boro was to win promotion to the top flight of English football.
That failed to materialise however last month, and FLW confirmed via their sources earlier in the week that Akpom is ‘gettable’ from the club this summer, with a need to cash in on one player if Carrick is going to have significant funds to play with in the transfer market.
Luton appear to be one of the clubs keen to sign Akpom this summer, who could be enticed with not only the Premier League, but also a move back closer to his London roots.
Would Chuba Akpom be a good signing for Luton?
For around the £15 million that Boro want for Akpom, it is a fee worth paying for a player who had a fire lit under him this past season.
There’s quite simply no guarantee that Akpom will step up to the Premier League and score goals, but he’s worth taking a chance on based on what he’s showed since Michael Carrick arrived at Boro.
Even though Luton would generally be considered a much smaller club than Middlesbrough, their Premier League status and the money on offer means that they can afford to pay Akpom a lot more than the Teessiders, and he could potentially link up with Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo to form a very effective Hatters attack in the top flight.
