A string of clubs are interested in signing Southampton talent Tyler Dibling this summer, with the Saints now willing to accept a more realistic asking price.
The 19-year-old caught the eye during a disastrous season for Southampton which saw them relegated from the Premier League with just 12 points.
Dibling was one of a very few bright sparks of the campaign and may well make an immediate return to the top flight.
The Telegraph reported earlier this year that the Saints wanted an enormous £100m for their star player, but that always seemed farfetched.
While the teenager clearly has a lot of talent, he has made just 43 senior appearances and scored four goals.
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However, Southampton still want a lot of money for him, with Sky reporting that €55–65m (£47.3-56m) is now the asking price for the England Under-21 international.
The report states Manchester United, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and West Ham all hold an interest in signing Dibling this summer.
Interest has not been confined to the Premier League, with the likes of Bayern Munich and Porto also thought to have been impressed by Dibling.
Speaking earlier this year, Dibling did not sound in a great rush to leave St Mary’s, with such little experience behind him at this stage of his career.
‘I don’t try to think about it and just try and go into train every day and work hard and train the best I can,’ he said of transfer speculation.
Tyler Dibling Premier League stats
Apps: 33
Goals: 2
Assists: 0
‘At the end of the day, I love Southampton. I have been here since I was eight. It’s such a great team and I am working to do big things with them.’
New Southampton manager Will Still has also confirmed that any potential move for Dibling is not close, and he will continue to treat him as a key player as long as he remains with the club.
‘Tyler’s still here,’ Still told Sky Sports this week. ‘I’ve had a good conversation with Tyler. He’s not close to anything, really.
‘If he’s here, I’m sure he’ll be the best version of himself and he’ll be here and ready to help the squad.
‘He’s a quality player so people are undoubtedly going to be after him, people asking questions.
‘But he’s said – and I’ve said to him – that as long as he’s here, he’s a Southampton player and a good Southampton player. That’s what he’s been.’
Russell Martin on Tyler Dibling
Former Southampton manager Russell Martin told The Rest is Football of Tyler Dibling…
‘He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen – ever worked with. I worked with James Maddison at that age at Norwich, he was outstanding.
‘Tyler has every capability to go and play for England and at a top level for a very long time.
‘He’s powerful, he’s really quick, both feet, can shoot. I worked with Harry Kane and physically the stuff I’ve seen him do at 18 in the Premier League with people just bouncing off him – he has something I’ve not seen in a British player in a long time.
‘He’ll play as a No.8 or a No.10 eventually, but he’s 18 so we played him out wide and he was incredible.
‘He can play wide, we played him as a false nine in pre-season and he was our best player.’
Southampton begin their Championship campaign at home to Wrexham on Saturday August 9.
