Manchester City are apparently readying a bid to sign Southampton's Tyler Dibling, whom the Saints have slapped a mammoth £100m price tag on.
Dibling has been a shining light in an otherwise disheartening campaign for Ivan Juric's side, who could be officially relegated from the Premier League in record time this weekend.
The Saints are 19 points adrift of safety with eight games left to play, and if Wolverhampton Wanderers defeat Ipswich Town and Southampton lose to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, their demotion will be confirmed.
Dibling has been tipped to return to the Southampton starting lineup for the imminent meeting with Spurs, where the 19-year-old will endeavour to build on a record of four goals and three assists from 31 games in all competitions this season.
The 2006-born phenom is thought to have attracted the attention of Sunday's hosts Spurs with his performances, as well as both Man City and Manchester United, who are also hoping to take advantage of Southampton's seemingly inevitable relegation.
Man City 'rule out' £100m Dibling deal
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The Premier League's basement side only have Dibling under contract for another two years, and it will be a tall order for the club to keep hold of him for the 2025-26 second-tier season.
According to Football Insider, Man City are indeed readying an offer to bring Dibling to the Etihad Stadium this summer, but not for the mammoth price tag that interested clubs have apparently been quoted.
It was recently reported that Southampton would demand a gargantuan £100m from interested parties in the summer window, but Man City do not think that such a fee is realistic.
Instead, the Premier League champions would apparently be prepared to fork out between £50m and £60m to beat Tottenham to Dibling's signature, although they may already be at a slight disadvantage.
Spurs are said to have held a longer interest in the 19-year-old than Man City, which might work in their favour, although a potential lack of European football at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would not.
Where might Dibling fit in at Man City?
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As Dibling is still in the earliest stages of his career, he is unsurprisingly being trialled in a few positions to find his best fit, including at the tip of the attack and in the number 10 role.
A vacancy will open up in the latter position at the Etihad this summer, as Kevin De Bruyne has confirmed that he will be bringing the curtain down on his 10-year Citizens career when his contract expires.
Asking Dibling to step straight into De Bruyne's shoes may be a bridge too far and a request better suited to someone like Florian Wirtz, but the Saints starlet is an option to shoulder some of the creative burden.
However, the England Under-19 international has predominantly played off the right this season, a spot that Savinho has nailed down for Man City, so there is every chance that he could provide both cover and competition for the embryonic Brazilian.
Ben Knapton
