Tottenham Hotspur have made a “secret” bid for a star to replace James Maddison in the long-term.
Maddison signed for Tottenham for a fee touted to be £40 million by the BBC, starting well in North London and helping his side to the top of the table under new manager Ange Postecoglou.
But while injuries disrupted Spurs' season last term, it has become difficult for the no.10 to maintain his form – and the England man has drifted in and out of the side, with Dejan Kulusevski preferred at times as the side's primary playmaker by Postecoglou.
Tottenham Hotspur have already opened the bidding to sign another exciting young talent
While Tottenham are enduring a tough season, the future looks bright for the club after several exciting acquisitions over the last couple of years for wonderkid talents.
22-year-olds Pape Sarr and Destiny Udogie are first-team mainstays, Wilson Odobert (20) and Brennan Johnson (23) have impressed out wide this season, while teenagers Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray – ranked at no.22 in FourFourTwo's list of the most exciting teenagers to watch this season – are the future of the midfield.
Now, a report from GiveMeSport claims that Tyler Dibling is next on the list with Spurs “leading the race” for the starlet, amid rumours fromTEAMtalk that a “secret bid” has already been lodged for the Saint star.
Dibling's Southampton have been already been relegated from the top tier after just a season back in the division, and unless things pick up following the departure of manager Ivan Juric, they could be about to break Derby County's 17-year-old record for the worst-ever Premier League points tally.
But despite the woes on the south coast, the 19-year-old winger has been the one bright spark of the season, with the Telegraph reporting that the Saints have slapped him with a nine-figure price tag – though FourFourTwo understands that Southampton will accept as little as half of that for the attacker.
And while Dibling has played on the wing this season, former manager Russell Martin recently told Gary Lineker that he believes the player's future lies in midfield, on The Rest is Football.
Intriguingly, Martin even compared the two players, suggesting that Dibling was a level above Maddison.
“He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen – ever worked with,” he said. “I worked with James Maddison at that age at Norwich, he was outstanding.”
In FourFourTwo's view, however, it may be more likely that Dejan Kulusevski leaves Tottenham than Maddison, with reports from January claiming that there is significant interest in the Swede from Italy.
Dibling is worth €25m, according to Transfermarkt. Tottenham take on Wolves this weekend when Premier League action returns.
