Southampton starlet Tyler Dibling reportedly came under a secret bid from Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, according to BBC Sport - which could be revisited in the summer, given that Daniel Levy has undergone a personal scouting mission for the former Chelsea youngster.
Dibling has arguably been Southampton's best player in their otherwise treacherous season in the Premier League, which has seen them rack up just nine points throughout the campaign and are still in with a shout of beating Derby County's 11-point record back in 2007/08. His bravery and fearless performances have sparked the interest of various clubs - but it was Tottenham who made the plunge for him in January, albeit with a rejected offer.
Report: Tottenham Had Secret Tyler Dibling Bid Rejected in January
Spurs ended up signing Mathys Tel instead
The report by BBC Sport states that Dibling's future is set to lie with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham or Bayern Munich, who are all reportedly set to enter a summer 'saga' for his services.
But BBC's sources close to Southampton have also claimed that the Saints turned down an unreported £35million bid from Tottenham for his signature - whilst RB Leipzig also had a £40m bid rejected, as Ivan Juric's side wanted £55million for the youngster if they were to prise him away from St. Mary's, having been dubbed as 'incredible' for his rise to the first-team.
Ange Postecoglou brought Mathys Tel in via an 11th-hour bid from Bayern on a loan with an option-to-buy deal, and that may well have been because Dibling's deal didn't go through, thus opting for the young French international instead.
GMS sources previously told how Daniel Levy had been on a personal scouting mission of the England youngster, who has burst onto the scene in the Premier League as opposed to being given his opportunities in the Championship last season - and that may prompt more interest from Spurs' side in the summer when Southampton are finally relegated to the second-tier.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Tyler Dibling has 31 youth caps for England, scoring five goals.
The south coast club currently sit 20 points adrift of relegation with just 27 points to play for, and if they fail to take two points from Crystal Palace and Tottenham over the next week, they'll be relegated if Wolverhampton Wanderers can pick up a win against Ipswich Town on Saturday - signalling one of the earlier relegations in the league's history.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 02-04-25.