Southampton sign full-back James Bree from Luton

Southampton have signed defender James Bree from Luton on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

Bree, 25, becomes Southampton’s third January addition after the signings of Mislav Orsic and Carlos Alcaraz and is reunited with former Luton boss Nathan Jones at St Mary’s.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” Bree told the official Saints website.

“As soon as I had the chance to come to this huge club, a Premier League opportunity for myself as well, and obviously get to work with my old gaffer, I knew it was the right decision straight away and I didn’t have to think twice about it.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid, making my Premier League debut and obviously for a team as big as Southampton.

“It’s something you dare to dream about.”

Jones said: “James is obviously someone who I know well from our time together at Luton, and he has the qualities both on the pitch and also in terms of his character to help us here.

“While we have really talented players in the full-back positions, we have been lighter on numbers than we would have liked, so the addition of James to the squad really helps us to address that.

“He’s also comfortable playing at centre-back too, so that versatility helps give us another good option in a number of areas.”

Bree played for Barnsley, Aston Villa and Ipswich before joining Luton in 2019.

He made 143 appearances for the Hatters in total, 27 of them this season for the Sky Bet Championship club.