£50m star begins ‘house hunt’ and tells friends he’s moving to Arsenal
Brighton defender Ben White has told his friends that he expects to move to Arsenal this summer, according to reports.
The Gunners have made the England international a key transfer target this summer, but a widely reported £40million offer has been turned down by the Seagulls.
White is currently on international duty with the Three Lions after being called up to Gareth Southgate’s final Euro 2020 squad following an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold having initially been cut from a 33-man provisional group.
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The 23-year-old had an excellent season with Brighton, making 39 appearances in all competitions, and caught the attention of Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard, whose side finished eighth and missed out on European football last term, is conducting a rebuild at the Emirates Stadium, with David Luiz set to leave at the end of his contract.
Arsenal won’t give up on the signing of White, though, with Football Insider claiming the Gunners are ‘expected to return to the negotiating table with an improved offer for White as talks continue’.
White ‘has told his Leeds United friends he expects to quit Brighton for Arsenal this summer’ with the Seagulls demanding a fee of £50m to sell the centre-back this summer.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham have all been linked with a move for the England international but it now seems that Arsenal are moving to the front of the queue.
The Brighton defender has ‘already begun house hunting in the capital in the expectation that the move will go through’ and ‘White has let it be known to friends, including those at Leeds and in the England squad, that he is likely to end up at Arsenal before the current window shuts.’
White signed a new four-year deal at the Amex Stadium last summer and Football Insider has also confirmed that ‘Leeds are not expected to join the race for their former loan star.’
Meanwhile, Brighton will visit Burnley on the first day of the new Premier League season on August 14 as the new fixtures were released on Wednesday, while Arsenal will travel to newly-promoted Brentford in a London derby.
