Crawley Town have missed out on the signing of a Premier League midfielder, following further confirmation that he has signed for another League One side.
The League One new-boys have had a busy transfer window since securing their promotion from League Two, but have subsequently lost several players including the likes of Liam Kelly and Danilo Orsi.
However, the club have been dealt a further transfer blow as one of their midfield targets has opted to sign for a rival third-tier side instead.
Dibley-Dias heads for Sixfields
Journalist Darren Witcoop has confirmed that Fulham midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias was a target for Crawley Town this summer, potentially arriving on a season-long loan deal but this is now off the table.
That’s because the midfielder has opted to sign for fellow League One side Northampton Town and replace former loan star Marc Leonard rather than head to Crawley Town for the 2024/25 campaign.
How did Dibley-Dias fare last season?
The 20-year-old has spent his entire career with Fulham’s academy teams, meaning the 2024/25 campaign will be his first taste of men’s first-team football aside from the two brief appearances he made in the EFL Trophy last season.
During the previous campaign, the midfielder made 15 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League side, scoring two goals and providing four additional assists.
He also captained Fulham’s U21s in both the EFL Trophy and the Premier League 2 last season, featuring as a defensive midfielder.
Crawley suffer another midfield blow
Since the opening of the transfer window, Crawley Town have seen bids rejected for several midfield players, and have now missed out on another.
Former Chelsea midfielder Kyle Scott and Dunfermline’s Ewan Otoo have been the subject of rejected bids so far this summer and now their pursuit of Dibley-Dias has seen the hat-trick of missed targets being completed by the League One side.