Southampton’s Tyler Dibling has a header deflected off Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
West Ham are known for their attractive football and bright young talent, but they will struggle to land one of their top January targets, £40million 18-year-old Southampton midfielder Tyler Dibling.
Despite Saints languishing at the foot of the Premier League table, sources have told CaughtOffside that they are unwilling to let the midfielder leave this month.
In addition, Southampton have slapped a £55m price tag on Dibling to make sure clubs trying to poach him think twice before doing so.
Tyler Dibling is unlikely to stay at Southampton
They include, according to information received from CaughtOffside sources, RB Leipzig, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle United and Aston Villa, as well as the Hammers.
Sources have also advanced that of those clubs, only Leipzig have made a bid at this point, although it’s fair to say their £30m bid was treated with contempt by the Premier League’s basement boys .
Dibling has been widely praised for his recent performances in the English top flight, despite Southampton having suffered badly since their promotion to the Championship.
While it is unclear whether they will be successful, the Saints plan to extend the midfielder’s contract until 2029.
West Ham agree quick deal for major acquisition!
It is understood that Dibling stops to sign this agreementwhich would suggest that he too sees his future away from the Santa Maria Stadium.
With 10 days left in the current window, there is still plenty of time to get a deal done.
Several clubs want Southampton’s Tyler Dibling
With the player likely to leave in the summer, Southampton must think very carefully about their next move.
Get him a decent amount now, or lose him for a lot less if, as sources expect, he continues to refuse to commit to the club.
Once potential buying clubs understand that he really wants to leave, his value will plummet.
There is little chance of Southampton staying awake at this point. They are already 10 points adrift of safety, with tough games against Newcastle, Brighton, Chelsea and Liverpool looming.
Therefore, any money they can invest now will surely benefit them in their expected push for promotion to the Championship next season.
