Brighton owner Tony Bloom has made it clear that the club will not be forced into selling Ben White this summer, with Leeds United keen on a permanent deal for their loan star.
The centre-back arrived at Elland Road ahead of the current campaign and has quickly established himself as a crucial member of Marcelo Bielsa’s team, with the Argentinian picking him for every single Championship game. Therefore, those connected to Leeds are desperate for him to sign on a long-term basis in the upcoming transfer window.
However, Seagulls owner Bloom told the Eastbourne Courier that the Premier League outfit will be placing a lot of importance on academy players in the coming years and he explained how the club won’t be in a position financially where they need to sell.
“The academy is key for us and it will not just be for this summer but for future ones. We are delighted that Ben White has done so well at Leeds and Jayson Molumby at Millwall. It could be that the academy becomes more important for next season for our first team.
“We don’t have to cash in. It may not be the best window to sell players because we don’t know how the market will look.”
Whether that’s enough to put Leeds off a permanent move for White remains to be seen, although they are likely to need a significant fee to convince Brighton to sell, whilst there’s sure to be competition for the 22-year-old as well. That’s after White has been linked with a host of clubs in the past, with one report claiming Chelsea had been monitoring the £25m-rated man and Liverpool have also been suggested as a potential destination for the defender after their scout was seen regularly at Elland Road.
Therefore, to even have an outside chance of completing this deal, the Yorkshire outfit are going to need to win promotion and they currently sit top of the Championship with just nine games left to play.