Aston Villa hit with £55m midfielder asking price as Chelsea and Spurs join transfer race

Aston Villa are understood to be one of the leading contenders to sign Southampton wonderkid Tyler Dibling in the January transfer window. Unai Emery’s side are keen to bolster their midfield options this month and have been hugely impressed with the form of 18-year-old Dibling.

The Villans have already added Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund and Levante full-back Andres Garcia to their ranks but are now on the look out for further reinforcements.

Dibling, who was once on the books at Chelsea before returning to the Southampton academy, is viewed as one of the brightest prospects to come out of the highly-esteemed Saints youth system in recent years, he is blessed with tremendous technical ability, great balance, pinpoint passing range and an eye for goal.

He currently has a record of four goals and two assists from 24 appearances across all competitions this season and has been one of the few bright sparks, in what has so far been a dismal return to the Premier League for the South Coast side.

Dibling is tipped to be a future star of the Premier League but according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas will only be sold for an offer in excess of £55m.

Why Tyler Dibling is attracting interest from Aston Villa

Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, James Ward-Prowse, Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw are just some of the modern day stars to have emerged from Southampton’s famous academy. Going further back, fans can even recall Premier League all-time leading goalscorer Alan Shearer in his early days and arguably the club’s best modern day footballer in Matt Le Tissier.

Their latest rapidly rising star goes by the name of Tyler Dibling, who for the most part has been on the books at St Mary’s Stadium since the age of eight.

Dibling was introduced to the masses in April 2022 when a clip of him scoring a hat-trick at Newcastle's St James' Park at reserve level went viral. It was no ordinary hat-trick - each one of his three strikes was as close to a carbon copy as he picked up the ball on the halfway line, dribbled past the young Magpies defence with ease, and stroked the ball beautifully into the bottom corner.

He ended the 2021/22 with an U18 Premier League South champions medal around his neck and was named in the first team squad shortly after for a game at Brentford.

His exceptional talents caught the eye of Chelsea, who fended off interest from Newcastle to get the deal over the line. However, his stay at Stamford Bridge was short-lived and after failing to settle after just two games, he returned to his boyhood club.

Dibling was in and around the squad that won promotion to the Premier League, but it is only since their return to the top-flight that he has emerged as a real first team fixture. Blessed with great technical qualities, Dibling has proven he can perform well in a number of positions, including left wing, right wing and as a central midfielder.

Three days before he was sacked on December 15, Martin said: "I was told some rumours about Man Utd, one was a bid of £21m. I'm not sure you'll get his left foot for that."

Who are the front-runners to sign Tyler Dibling?

Tyler Dibling’s blockbuster £55m price tag makes him a huge gamble for any club willing to take a punt on him.

As it stands, Villa are thought to be among the clubs interested in Dibling, but the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle United and RB Leipzig have also been heavily linked.

Southampton with just six points on the board will be desperate not to lose their standout performer mid-season as they look to try and stage a miraculous great escape.