Liverpool and Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on Brighton star Ben White, who is currently plying his trade for Championship outfit Leeds United.
The Athletic report that Ben White is on the radar of Liverpool and Manchester United. The Mirror have corroborated the story that the Brighton & Hove Albion loanee’s performances at Leeds United have sparked interest in his services.
The Ben White links surfaced a few weeks ago as well, with Manchester United recently rumoured to be checking the star out along with his current Leeds teammate Kalvin Phillips. Way back in early 2018, though, White had held off on talks with Brighton over a new deal as Liverpool and Tottenham showed interest.
But, the 22-year-old’s loan move to Leeds United has really catapulted his stocks. The Brighton loanee has been a permanent fixture under Marcelo Biesla this season in the Championship, playing each and every minute of the club’s league campaign so far.
What is even more impressive is his discipline, with White receiving just one yellow card over the span of his 16 appearances, keeping a clean sheet in half of the matches. Naturally, the rumours linking White to Liverpool and Manchester United have resurfaced.
Liverpool have arguably the best centre-back in the Premier League, if not the world, in Virgil van Dijk. There are other good options for Jurgen Klopp in the form of Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren. But, Lovren hasn’t proven to be a stable option while Matip is a good squad rotation option.
Joe Gomez is promising, but Klopp will need more options beyond these names if Liverpool are to compete on multiple fronts.
Manchester United have found a good partnership in Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire. But, the former has proven to be suspect in the air this season and will need to sort it out. Also, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks set to clear some deadwood, which means the likes of Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly are in contention to be sold.
Ben White is a promising centre-back who has the technical ability, but is also not graced with a good height, standing 182 cm tall, which means he is also not great in the air. Thus, Manchester United could look to bring White in as a squad option and a backup for the primary options.
If Leeds do not achieve promotion this season, White is unlikely to be swayed in converting his loan deal into a permanent one. Brighton, on the other hand, could look to inculcate White into the squad, especially with Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy on the radars of other clubs.
But, the Seagulls themselves are in danger of being in the relegation dogfight as the season progresses and in case they fail to avoid the drop, we could see White jump ship to another Premier League team in summer 2020. Nothing seems concrete right now and Liverpool and Manchester United will likely wait to see the fate of Brighton and Leeds unfold this season before making a move, if any, in the summer for Ben White.
