Tyler Dibling in action for Southampton vs Leicester City (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Liverpool are the latest club to show a concrete interest in Southampton’s highly-rated young attacking midfielder Tyler Dibling.
The 19-year-old is widely expected to leave the Saints this summer after their relegation from the Premier League to the Championship, according to various well-connected sources in the agents industry.
CaughtOffside have been told that Dibling’s likely availability has several top clubs on alert, including Liverpool, who have joined others like Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United in the race.
Others such as Tottenham and Manchester City are also considering a move for Dibling, while RB Leipzig previously had a €35m bid rejected for the England Under-21 international.
Tyler Dibling’s transfer situation explained
One issue with Dibling at the moment is his asking price, which sources have confirmed is likely to be in the region of €60m.
Although the versatile attacking midfielder, who has played both centrally and out wide to good effect, looks like a huge prospect for the future, he also remains relatively inexperienced and unproven.
One source stated that although Man United were “closely monitoring” Dibling and considered him a potential “investment opportunity for the future”, it currently seems unlikely that they’d go near that kind of fee.
It remains to be seen what others like Liverpool and Chelsea will decide, with no contacts taking place yet, and no offers coming in apart from Leipzig’s rejected €35m bid.
Tyler Dibling – is he worth the gamble?
€65m is a lot to pay for someone still at the start of his career, but top clubs also won’t want to miss out on someone with the potential to be a generational talent.
Chelsea have invested a lot in elite young players like this, while Liverpool have also shown a willingness to spend big money.
Southampton could do well to keep hold of Dibling if possible as they prepare for life in the Championship, but multiple sources have told CaughtOffside that the expectation is that the teenager will leave as he’s signalled he won’t sign a new contract.
