Everton are ramping up their move to sign a right winger as they pursue a move for Southampton starlet and England youth international Tyler Dibling.
David Moyes has been clear on his desire to have a busy end to the window, with multiple gaps in the squad needing to be filled, including the right-wing spot.
According to David Ornstein, Southampton’s valuation of the player is at around £50 million, and they are not planning to reduce this. This has led Everton to consider targets, with an importance being placed on spreading funds given the need for a number of new signings.
Dibling made 33 Premier League appearances last season as Southampton finished rock bottom of the table. 20 of these were from the start.
Despite playing under three different managers in a difficult campaign, trust in the 19-year-old never seemed to waver.
It is understandable, therefore, that Dibling would come at a premium from Southampton, despite their status as a Championship club. Reports even suggested that the youngster was valued at £100 million by the Saints earlier this year.
But as the negotiations hit a standstill over the gap in valuations, another intriguing detail has been mentioned by Everton fans on social media.
777 connections involved in Everton’s Tyler Dibling negotiations
The Friedkin Group completed their takeover of Everton in December last year, but they weren’t the only interested party.
In September 2023, it was revealed that an agreement had been reached between former owner Farhad Moshiri and 777 Partners for the group to acquire a 94.1% stake in the club. However, the deal collapsed when they couldn’t meet the Premier League’s takeover conditions.
Involved in that bid was Johannes Spors, who was the group’s global sports director at the time, overseeing activity at six different 777-owned clubs.
Spors is now Technical Director at Southampton, and as highlighted by A View From The Bullens’ Benj Winstanley, this may make for a challenging negotiating table.
It’s a real “full circle moment”, which sees a man who could have been in charge at Everton now denying them their top target.
Despite that connection, it’s clear that Southampton are keen to keep hold of their top talent, or to at least maximise his full worth.
If not Dibling, who do Everton go for?
Failure to secure Dibling would be a blow for Moyes and the Friedkins, given the team’s well-documented need for a right-winger.
After he spent the last two seasons at the club, a return to Everton for Jack Harrison has been suggested, but this would depend on Leeds allowing him to leave on a free transfer.
Timothy Weah of Juventus has also been linked, but Fabrizio Romano has said on Tuesday that the USA international is on his way to finalise a move to Marseille.
Everton’s interest in Jack Grealish is also well-established, and his addition to the left-wing position could lead to Dwight McNeil being deployed on the right, but further additions will likely be required if Dibling’s move is not to materialise.
Harrison could make his first Leeds appearance in over two years against Everton in the first Premier League matchday, by which time Moyes will be hoping he has found a replacement.