Tottenham Hotspur are still pushing to sign an incredible attacking talent this month but have been told they will have to fork out at least £55million to get their man.
Tyler Dibling has been one of the few bright spots for Southampton in a real season of struggle, with the 18-year-old right-winger establishing himself as one of English football’s most exciting attacking prospects.
The Exeter-born youngster has scored twice in 20 Premier League outings has earned plenty of plaudits for the way he has taken to the English top flight, showing no fear, to encourage bigger clubs to make their moves as Southampton stare down the barrel of relegation.
Tottenham, Chelsea and Aston Villa are all being linked with the supremely talented teenager, with Ange Postecoglou eyeing attacking reinforcements after seeing his squad decimated by injuries over the last few months.
In terms of the wide talent currently missing, the standouts are Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner, although the latter is only on loan and will not be joining permanently in the summer if his form this season is anything to go by.
Spurs had been chasing a move for PSG’s Randal Kolo Muani but ended up missing out to Juventus for the French forward, while TT can confirm that Ipswich Town standout Liam Delap is also firmly on their radar.
However, Delap is a central striker and Postecoglou also wants another out-and-out wide man on board, with Dibling ticking a number of boxes for the Tottenham boss and also chairman Daniel Levy, given his age.
To that end, Sky Sports‘ Lyall Thomas has delivered an update on Dibling’s future, commenting on his X account: “Southampton would not entertain offers of any less than £55m at least for Tyler Dibling this month; as Aston Villa, Chelsea and Tottenham all continue to monitor the 18yo’s progress.”
That £55m valuation might be a bit steep for a player who only made his senior debut exactly a year ago aged just 17, but Dibling’s potential is off the charts and he could end up being worth every penny in the long run.
The young forward also has two years remaining on his contract, leaving Saints in a strong position to negotiate the fee they want, while they could also benefit from a bidding war ensuing between interested clubs.
Spurs are also no strangers to signing up teenage talent, having brought in Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall last summer – both of whom have had plenty of game time this term due to the injury crisis in N17.
RB Leipzig ones to watch in Dibling chase
One team we didn’t mention above who also have a firm interest in signing Dibling is German side RB Leipzig.
As per a report from the Daily Mail, Dibling has not ruled out going abroad at this stage of his career for more game time at a prestigious club.
He knows that a move to Leipzig or Borussia Dortmund gives him more chances to shine, compared to signing for Tottenham where he would join a plethora of wide options.
A tweet from SaintsExtra appeared to back up a potential move to Leipzig, stating: “RB Leipzig will ‘do everything possible’ to sign Southampton’s Tyler Dibling, & after initial talks, they have the impression that he is open to a move to the Bundesliga — Tottenham are also in ‘very concrete talks’ with his representatives”.
Leipzig are currently firmly in the mix to finish in the Champions League places in Germany, with Tottenham miles off the pace in their bid to quality for Europe next season.
Indeed, their best shot at getting in the Champions League is by winning the Europa League this term, while triumphing in the Carabao Cup would only earn them a Conference League spot.