Transfer News: Brighton, Arsenal In 'Advanced Talks' For English Defender

Brighton & Hove Albion are deep in talks with English Premier League powerhouse Arsenal for center-back Ben White.

According to Sky Sports, Brighton had previously rejected a £40 million ($69.9 million) bid for White.

It is also widely believed that Brighton, not having made much details public thus far, has a £50 million asking price.

With how talks are progressing, Brighton is not expected to budge from their position.

The English defender had signed a four-year extension with the club, extending his contract duration to last until 2024.

White spent much of 2019 and 2020 on a loan spell to Leeds United, scoring his lone goal in a one-sided beatdown of Charlton Athletic.

He also appeared in all 46 games for Leeds, helping them secure a promotion to the Premier League after a 16-year absence from one of the most popular leagues in Europe.

After the loan, White won the Leeds Young Player Award and was announced as the “Yorkshire Evening Post” award for the 2019-2020 season.

Leeds wanted to permanently sign White to the club after his stellar performance for the team, but the home club opted to decline all offers as Brighton manager Graham Potter had been looking forward to working with White.

As it stands, Brighton is under no pressure to sell White as the Englishman figures to be a big part of the team’s future.

Brighton owner Tony Bloom is not expected to hamper White’s move to Arsenal on the condition that his demands are met.

The current negotiations are now centered around the structure of payments. Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth bared on where the two sides are for White.

“Personal terms are not thought to be a problem and that all parties are ‘cautiously optimistic’ that a deal can be done.”

Sheth also mentions that there may be a couple of Arsenal players that could be affected by White’s move to Arsenal, including Konstantinos Mavropanos and William Saiba.

“[He] is close to a loan move back to Stuttgart with an obligation to buy depending on certain conditions – basically their performance over the course of next season,” said Sheth regarding Mavropanos.

Regarding Saliba, Sheth reports that the French player “will have had talks with the Arsenal hierarchy to discuss whether it’s best to remain at the club next season, to go out on loan, or to move permanently out of Arsenal” by the pre-season.

The potential White signing can be confusing for the club as many believe that Arsenal is more in need of a goal-scorer after having 55 goals in 38 Premier League games.