Aston Villa have reportedly emerged as frontrunners in the race for Southampton winger Tyler Dibling.
The 18-year-old has been a shining light during a difficult return to the top flight for the Saints, who are currently bottom of the Premier League standings.
Dibling first made national headlines courtesy of his stellar display during the visit of Erik ten Hag's Manchester United to St Mary's in September.
Despite his side losing 3-0 in the end, the attacker produced some impressive bits of play, tormenting left-back Diogo Dalot and winning a penalty in the first half.
Later that month, Dibling found the net in the Premier League for the first time, a strike which was enough to earn Southampton a share of the spoils with Ipswich Town on September 21.
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Aston Villa lead race for the new Grealish?
According to FootballTransfers, a new Premier League powerhouse has entered the race for the services of Southampton prodigy Dibling.
The report claims that Aston Villa are closely monitoring the progress of the 18-year-old ahead of a potential move at the conclusion of the term.
It is understood that the Second City club see similarities between Saints star Dibling and former Villan Jack Grealish, who went on to sign for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
Although there have been suggestions that the winger could depart the South coast in January, it is believed that Unai Emery's side are targeting a summer acquisition of the player.
The Villans are not alone in their fondness of Dibling, who is supposedly wanted by 'all the big clubs' in England, including Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
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Dibling suffering from the system
Through no fault of his own, Dibling has struggled to nail down a place in Southampton's XI since a string of eye-catching displays in September.
Looking to tighten up at the back, Saints head coach Russell Martin has deployed a 5-3-2 formation during recent fixtures with Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Manning have largely provided the width for Southampton in a system that does not easily accommodate natural wingers such as Dibling.
Carter White
