Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Aston Villa could land a priority transfer target with a clever Southampton swap deal this summer.
Sign up to our BirminghamWorld Today newsletter
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to BirminghamWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly leading the race to sign Southampton winger Tyler Dibling this summer, potentially setting up Aston Villa for disappointment.
Unai Emery is a big admirer of Dibling and Villa’s interest in signing the teenager has been well documented for many months now. BirminghamWorld understands the Villans have spoken directly to Southampton to enquire about Dibling’s availability but there’s been no advancement on that.
Reports elsewhere, meanwhile, suggest Tottenham are moving forward with an attempt to sign Dibling this summer. If Villa aren’t careful, their target could very quickly slip away from their grasp.
If Emery does decide he wants to proceed with a swoop, it probably won’t be until the start of the summer transfer window as there are still decisions to be made for Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio who play in similar positions. There’s an option to buy Rashford permanently for £40 million from Manchester United whereas Paris Saint-Germain are open to extending Asensio’s stay in the West Midlands.
That got us thinking here at BirminghamWorld, if Villa do decide they want Dibling in a few months’ time, there’s a chance Spurs may already be very advanced with a move of their own. As a result, Villa may have to do something spectacular to ensure Southampton pick their offer instead.
Could Aston Villa swap Louie Barry for Southampton’s Tyler Dibling?
One move that could potentially make sense is proposing a swap deal as that would cut out Southampton’s need to source a replacement.
Dibling is expected to want to leave St Mary’s Stadium once Ivan Juric’s side’s likely relegation is sealed and Saints won’t want to be weakened for their push to gain promotion straight back to the Premier League.
In our view, Villa winger Louie Barry could be the perfect makeweight. Seen as one for the future but unlikely to force his way into Emery’s immediate plans, Barry has succeeded out on loan this season but isn’t quite at Premier League level just yet.
Before being recalled in January, Barry scored a sensational 15 goals in 23 League One matches for Stockport County, helping move the Hatters up into play-off contention. Villa decided Barry had outgrown the English third tier and opted to loan him to Hull City in the Championship instead.
Regrettably for everyone involved, Barry has only played four times for the Tigers and has since returned to Villa for treatment on a potentially season-ending injury. Nonetheless, Barry was highly sought-after in the winter transfer window - with over a dozen Championship clubs understood to have enquired about his availability - and he’s probably good enough to play for a promotion-chasing club.
As Barry’s stock is lower than Dibling’s, Villa would still have to offer a fee along with the player. Barry being involved could make for a discounted deal, though, and would provide Southampton with an easy route to life without their prized academy asset.
Another option could be Villa being offered a slight discount if they give Southampton first dibs on loaning Barry for next season. Either way, in our view this could make great sense for all parties. Other than Tottenham, of course. Snooze you lose, Spurs.