Arsenal has reportedly bid £45m for Ben White and is close to completing a deal for the defender. Ben White is considered a priority signing by Arsenal this summer.
White was rewarded for his prominent rise this season with an England Euro squad call up by Gareth Southgate as Trent Alexander-Arnold pulled out of the tournament due to an injury. This spiked up Arsenal’s interest in the defender. The north London club has now reportedly made an offer of £45 million for the centre back with £5m as add ons. However, Brighton is holding out for £50 million which is their asking price. But this is not seen to be a problem for Arsenal as they look to complete the deal as soon as possible. An agreement would likely be reached very soon as Brighton has not received offers from other clubs for the English international.
Arsenal seems keen to acquire a right-sided centre back and some of their targets included Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba but were put off by the asking price for the defenders. The possible arrival of a new centre-back leaves William Saliba’s future unclear although reports suggest that he will be given a chance to fight for his place in the first team.
Released from Southampton and picked up by Brighton in 2014, White had temporary spells at Newport County, Peterborough United and most notably Leeds United before breaking into the first team at the Amex Stadium and proving one of the top-flight’s leading performers in 2020-21. He is also eligible to fill a homegrown spot in Arsenal’s squad.