Brighton star tells friends he expects to join Arsenal
Brighton and Hove Albion defender Ben White has reportedly told friends and family that he expects to join London club Arsenal in the current shop window.
The North London outfit submitted a bid of around £40million for the Englishman on Wednesday evening. Although it was straightaway rejected, the Gunners are expected to go back again for the coveted 23-year-old.
Staff at Arsenal are ‘confident’ that the deal can be struck with the Seagulls. However, he won’t come cheap.
But any fee is unlikely to be unsurmountable by the Red and White, who have made White one of the priority signings this summer.
The FootballInsider report further stated, ‘He has already begun house hunting in the capital in the expectation that the move will go through.’
Arsenal are now expected to launch a second bid, an improvement on their previous offer for the versatile defender.
White played 46 games in the Championship under Marcelo Bielsa before proving that he’s ready for the Premier League. He went onto making 36 appearances for Graham Potter’s team, impressing a whole host of top clubs across Europe.
If Arsenal have identified Ben White as their primary target, then the club should not roam around for long. They might well be priced out of any deal if European heavyweights such as Liverpool, Manchester United or even Paris Saint-Germain come knocking on the player’s door.
Yash Bisht