Mansfield Town is interested in signing Leicester City defender Lewis Brunt, who achieved promotion last season.
The 23-year-old, who began his career at Aston Villa, enjoyed a fantastic season in League Two with the Stags, helping them achieve promotion after a decade in the bottom division. He is now a permanent target for Nigel Clough, who informed Mansfield and Chad that a bid has already been made.
“We have also opened preliminary negotiations with Leicester City over the permanent signing of Lewis Brunt,” stated Clough, who has also managed Derby and Sheffield United. “That is in its very early stages, so we will see how that goes.”
Brunt played an important role in the Stags’ third-place finish, appearing in 33 league games. It was his first true taste of senior football after coming through at Aston Villa. He appeared for his parent club’s Under 21 side three times in the EFL Trophy, the latest of which being an 8-1 defeat to Sunderland in September 2020.
Following his release from Villa, he joined Leicester City and made his senior debut in the FA Cup. He made two Premier League appearances for Leicester, against Tottenham Hotspur in May 2022 and Nottingham Forest in January 2023.
The center defender joined Mansfield early last season and prospered at Field Mill. He scored twice for the Stags and is now being considered for a permanent transfer. Given that he signed a new contract in 2022 that runs until the summer of 2025, he will most certainly cost Clough a price.
Clough said that Brunt isn’t the only player he’s interested in signing early, with offers coming in for others.
“We are getting close with a couple more signings,” he stated. “We are currently awaiting responses to proposals made to two of our top candidates. Coming in with four or five people would be ideal.”
Mansfield were promoted to third place this season, six points ahead of MK Dons in fourth. It was their first promotion since leaving the National League in 2013, and they return to the third tier for the first time since 2003.
Writer’s perspective
Mansfield is an oddity. They’ve always had strong backing from chairman John Radford, but they’ve struggled to live up to their near-constant status as promotion favourites. Then, out of nowhere, they received a promotion in a season when others were far more popular.
Signing Brunt seems like a solid decision. He had a strong season in League Two, so a transfer to League One, whether on loan or permanently, is a natural progression. If they can sign him on a permanent basis, any improvement he makes this season will earn Mansfield a potential future fee instead of Leicester.
