Southampton are unlikely to maintain their current asking price for Newcastle transfer target Tyler Dibling, according to reports.
It had been claimed that the Saints were holding out for around £100m but The Chronicle say that the valuation is “expected to drop significantly” following the South Coast club’s relegation.
Ivan Juric’s side sit bottom of the Premier League table after 29 matches. They are 17 points off safety and their fate could be sealed in just a few weeks.
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If and when that happens, the club are likely to begin putting plans in place for what The Chronicle brand a “firesale”, where valuable players like Dibling could be offloaded for relatively low fees.
Newcastle have been looking to buy a right winger for some time
The Magpies have been linked with the likes of Chelsea’s Noni Madueke and PSV Eindhoven’s Johan Bakayoko in past transfer windows, while there has also been more recent interest in Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.
It’s clear that strengthening the right flank is a top priority for manager Eddie Howe. With the club having had success by recruiting a young homegrown player from Southampton before in Tino Livramento, they may consider repeating the trick with Dibling.
Competition for the teenager is expected to be fierce
There are plenty of other Premier League clubs circling Dibling, including Manchester City, Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea, so Newcastle would need to be persuasive if they are to secure the 19-year-old’s services.
Guarantees of first-team football could help and the club can also cite the examples of Livramento, Lewis Hall and even Anthony Gordon as young players who have gone on to thrive after moving to St James’ Park. It remains to be seen, though, whether that would be enough to get him to make the switch to Tyneside.
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