Arsenal have launched a new bid worth £54m to sign Ben White and the player is keen on joining the north London club, as per multiple reports.
The Brighton And Hove Albion defender is at the Euros right now after being called up to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold. The 23-year-old has emerged as a target for the Gunners after a brilliant debut season in the Premier League.
Speaking on The Transfer Window Podcast, Duncan Castles stated that the north Londoners have offered a guaranteed £48m. On top of this, they would be willing to add £6m more to bring the total to £54m. The journalist went on to add that the offer matches what Brighton want for their star centre-back but The Seagulls haven’t responded yet.
This is what he had to say:
“My understanding is that Arsenal made a third offer for White at this beginning of this week. They’ve increased the guaranteed sum to £48m. There’s another £6m in performance-related variables, the majority of which should be easily achieved. So they’ve pretty much got to where White expected to be sold for.
“However, my understanding is Brighton are yet to accept or make a decision on that offer.”
A further update came from Fabrizio Romano, who claimed that the deal is very close when speaking on the Here We Go Podcast. He said:
“Talking about Ben White, there is nothing with Chelsea because he is really, really close to joining Arsenal. He has an agreement on personal terms already with Arsenal and he wants to join Arsenal.
“Now Arsenal and Brighton are talking about the fee of around £50m. It’s not done yet, but they are getting closer.”
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With the Euros set to end this week, we will get to know more about the future of White soon. But it is clear that the Gunners are making progress with regards to a transfer and that is good news.
A centre-back may not have been a priority at the start of the window, but the club have identified the England international as a prime target. Otherwise, they would not be willing to shell out such a fee.
The Brighton defender is excellent on the ball and his pace allows the centre-back to recover and protect the backline. The 23-year-old will fit in with the philosophy that Mikel Arteta has in mind and will certainly improve the team’s ability to play out from the back. Arsenal are making some moves in the transfer window which shows that they are serious about improving their squad. If they can get a deal sorted out for White quickly, it would be an exciting move.
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