Leeds have made a third bid in their attempts to sign centre back Ben White from Brighton, with the 22-year-old turning down another contract offer at the AMEX Stadium, a report from The Athletic has claimed.
White played a key role in Leeds’ title-winning Championship campaign during his loan spell from Brighton last season, and the Yorkshire club have seemingly not yet given hope of bringing the defender back to Elland Road next season.
After Sky Sports’ Transfer Centre (19/08, 19:07) reported that Leeds have made a third bid to sign White, worth around £25million, yet more details about that offer have since emerged.
According to The Athletic, this latest offer for White is worth £25million upfront, with the potential for further add-ons based on the performances of both the player and team.
It is thought that this is Leeds’ final offer for White this summer, although Brighton are said to have remained adamant that they have no intention of selling the defender as things stand.
Even so, Leeds fans could still take some source of encouragement from the fact that the article goes onto claim that White has rejected a third contract offer of the summer from Brighton.
As things stand, there are two years left on White’s current deal with Brighton, securing his future with the Seagulls until the end of the 2021/22 season.
You feel that this offer must at least be tempting for Brighton consider, given how much profit it would make them on a player graduated through their academy, and the potential ramifications of a move not happening this summer.
With White turning down a third contract offer from the club, there does seem to be a sense that he is not exactly happy at The AMEX, and that puts the pressure on them significantly.
If they go into next summer with White still at the club but without having signed a new deal, there could be more pressure on them to sell, rather than lose the player for free in the summer of 2022.
However, if White does not feature heavily for them this season, it is going to be hard to justify them demanding anything like the sort of price they are going to receive for him with these offers, meaning they could find themselves under pressure to play him this season, despite his apparent lack of satisfaction at the club, and the sheer number of other centre backs they have to call upon.