Manchester United have received a huge boost in pursuit of Southampton youngster Tyler Dibling, as per transfer insider Mike Brown.
After gaining promotion last term, the Saints have had a dire first half of this season, sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table with five points from 16 matches. They have won only one game in the league thus far and are nine points behind the safe zone.
As a result, the South Coast side have recently decided to part ways with their manager Russell Martin. Meanwhile, after losing to Liverpool in the quarter-final of the EFL Cup, Southampton have been knocked out of this competition.
Amidst all these difficulties, the only positive for the Saints is the emergence of Dibling. The 18-year-old has already established himself as a key player for his boyhood club’s starting eleven this season after showcasing glimpses of his qualities.
The youngster’s eye-catching performances in the Premier League haven’t gone unnoticed as he has already attracted the attention of a few big English clubs with Football Insider stating that Man Utd and Newcastle United have registered their interest in signing him.
Dibling to Man Utd
On the same outlet, Brown says that Southampton would be forced to sell Dibling next summer if they fail to keep their top-flight status. So, this is a huge boost for United to sign the forward as it would be a miracle if the Saint Mary’s outfit can manage to avoid relegation from the current situation.
Brown said:
“When you go down, and let’s assume for the sake of this argument that they do, you have to cut a lot of costs and sometimes that means losing your best players. So whether they want to sell him[Dibling] or not, it may be out of their hands, they may be forced to sell. I think that will be the scenario if Southampton go down.”
It has been reported that Man Utd could manage to sign Dibling for a fee of around £21m but the price is likely to rise should the player – who still has a contract until 2027 – continue performing at his best throughout the rest of this season.
Dibling is a left-footed right-sided forward and would be a perfect option to play in one of the number ten positions in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system if he were to move to Old Trafford next year.