Arsenal land Manchester United a major blow in their pursuit of Ben White
According to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Manchester United appear to have lost out to Arsenal in the race to land Brighton star Ben White.
The Seagulls ace was one of the best young English defenders in the Premier League last season. His performances garnered interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal and United.
It would now appear that the Gunners are in the driving seat and are close to landing their man. Personal terms have already been agreed upon and both sides are currently negotiating for the final transfer fee.
According to The Guardian. Arsenal had an initial £40m bid for the player turned down this month. Brighton for their part wanted a guaranteed £50m for the 23-year-old. The Gunners remain hopeful that their offer of an initial £45m plus £5m in add-ons should do the trick.
Arsenal appear to be the only interested party to have made an official bid for White. The Gunners now have the initiative, and appear keen to seize it.
Given there are three years left on White’s current deal, Brighton hold a few advantages when it comes to negotiations. With personal terms agreed, Arsenal do have their own trump card up the sleeve.
It is no secret that United are in the market for a centre-back. However, who we will end up signing remains open for debate. We look to have missed out on White while a bid for Raphael Varane has not yet been made.
Sergio Ramos appears to favour a move to Paris Saint-Germain while Jules Kounde could be set to stay on at Sevilla for another season. Whether this means we will turn out attention to Pau Torres remains to be seen.
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While White is talented, he is still miles away from establishing himself as a top-level centre-back. A move to Arsenal makes sense given their standing in the sport today. A good couple of years at the Emirates could very well ensure he is ready for a bigger move down the line.