Exclusive: Lee Hendrie makes claim on Southampton's Tyler Dibling transfer demands | OneFootball

Southampton reportedly want £100million for the teenager - but Lee Hendrie says they should use Leeds United's sale of Archie Gray as a reference

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes Southampton have set their reported asking price of £100million for Tyler Dibling way too high, instead using Leeds United’s sale of Archie Gray last summer as a better reference point.

After missing out on promotion to the Premier League to Southampton last May, Leeds sold Gray to Tottenham Hotspur for a reported £40million in the 2024 summer transfer window.

Whilst Hendrie is a fan of the winger, he believes that Southampton would only receive up to half of their apparent valuation.

Tyler Dibling turning heads after breakthrough Southampton season

After being handed his senior debut in the EFL Cup last season, a campaign where he made just two total appearances, Dibling has broken into the Southampton first team to establish himself as a Premier League regular.

That has seen the winger linked to other Premier League clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as interest from the continent in the form of Bayern Munich.

As such, Saints have slapped a huge asking price on their starlet, with reports suggesting they want £100million for Dibling.

Dibling has already left Southampton once before, briefly joining Chelsea’s academy for a handful of months before returning to the south coast after failing to settle in London.

Chelsea paid £1.5million for Dibling when he was 16 - but now Saints want over 60 times that fee to allow the 19-year-old to leave the club for a second time.

Exclusively speaking to Football League World, Lee Hendrie used the sale of Archie Gray as a reference when talking about the possible sale of Dibling.

He stated: “Do I think Tyler Dibling is worth £100million?

“I think if you look at what Leeds got for Archie Gray, £40million, then I think £100million is absolutely astronomical.

“It really is. I just think that, yes, he is a very good player, talented and has got youth on his side, but that is a huge, huge fee.”

There are further similarities between Gray and Dibling, with the youngsters highly rated by fans years before their senior debuts.

Both players were named on the bench for Premier League fixtures when they were just young teens, with legendary Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa including a 15-year-old Gray in a matchday squad, whilst Dibling was named amongst the substitutes as a 16-year-old.

Reports suggest that after a breakthrough season, Dibling will make a multi-million-pound move away – just as Gray did following his first year as a regular starter for Leeds.

Gray started all but six games of Leeds United’s 46-match-long Championship campaign last term, paving the way for his £40million to Spurs.

Hendrie continued: “I think you’ve got to be really proven that you can go and produce and do what’s expected of you at that sort of fee.

“We know there are lots of young players sometimes it's difficult for them to actually do that, so I think it's a massive fee.”

Pundit Lee Hendrie makes Tyler Dibling evaluation

After downplaying Southampton’s chances of receiving £100million for their talented youngster, Hendrie suggested a more realistic transfer fee.

Hendrie’s valuation was more in line with the money Leeds received for selling Gray last season.

However, Southampton might be able to demand more than the £40million Spurs paid for Gray, thanks to the fact that Dibling will have a season of Premier League football under his belt.

That being said, Saints’ position is slightly undermined by the fact that Dibling is yet to sign a new contract despite previous negotiations.

Dibling’s current deal expires in 2026, but Southampton hold the option to extend it by a further year.

“I would say maybe a £40 million or £50million fee is probably the going rate these days,” Hendrie added.

“But £100 million is just way, way too much.”