Southampton boss Russell Martin has spoken out about Tyler Dibling's future
Southampton boss Russell Martin has laughed off claims Manchester United are eyeing a £21million move for Tyler Dibling.
The 18-year-old has impressed so far this season for Southampton and it seems talks over a new deal have stalled, with Dibling's current contract due to expire in 2026. A number of clubs across have been linked with Dibling, including Newcastle and several German teams.
Recent reports claimed that United were considering a £21m bid for the winger, but Martin has insisted it will take a lot more to tempt Southampton into selling their young star. "I was told some rumours about Man Utd, one was a bid of £21m," he said.
"I'm not sure you'll get his left foot for that. We have offered him a contract, a really good contract for someone his age. At the minute, I don't think his agent agrees, so that's where we're at.
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"I think Tyler wants it done, I think Tyler's parents want it done, so we'll see how long that takes. There is an option. We can extend. I don't think we want to do that - we want to reward Tyler for his performances.
"I've spoken to Tyler's mum and dad about it, I've spoken to Tyler, but then I'm not involved in any of the negotiations - that's down to Phil [Parsons, chief executive] and the gang, the owners and Tyler's agent - and that's where it gets tricky."
Dibling is enjoying a breakout season, having returned to St Mary's in 2022 after a brief stint at Chelsea, and Martin has previously revealed that United's technical director Jason Wilcox was a big fan of the youngster during his time as Southampton's director of football.
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" He has ability I've just not seen in many people," Martin said. "It's a pleasure to watch him play football. He needs to be in an environment where he feels really trusted and loved, and we absolutely love him.
"The lads in the dressing room understand how good he can be, but you can cut some of that [praise] because if we keep telling everyone how good he is then he won't be here for very long!
"Jason Wilcox was pushing for us to play him more last season, but he wasn’t quite ready. It's been beautiful to watch Tyler's journey so far and he needs to keep going."
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