Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham are reportedly scouting Brighton defender Ben White, who is enjoying a fine season on loan at Championship club Leeds United.
According to a report from Sky Sports, Premier League leaders Liverpool are monitoring the development of 22-year-old Brighton defender Ben White, who is currently out on loan at Leeds United. Along with Liverpool, fellow Premier League outfits Chelsea and Tottenham are also keeping an eye on the Englishman.
White is a product of the Brighton youth setup and has had loan spells at Newport County and Peterborough United previously. However, it is his current temporary spell away with Leeds United that has established him as a breakout star in the Championship.
White has showcased solid defensive attributes, while also displaying his ball-playing capabilities, which have made him a regular in Marcelo Bielsa’s side. The 22-year-old has featured in all of Leeds’ 26 Championship fixtures this term, playing a vital role in their rise to the top of the standings.
White’s progress at Elland Road hasn’t gone unnoticed with Premier League leaders Liverpool taking an interest in the youngster. The Reds could be looking to introduce some fresh blood into their defensive ranks next season seeing how Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip have battled with injuries in the ongoing campaign.
Jurgen Klopp has youngsters such as Sepp van den Berg and Ki-Jana Hoever at his disposal, while Liverpool have recalled Nathaniel Phillips, who was on loan at VfB Stuttgart. But, they are understood to have scouted White on a number of occasions recently.
Chelsea, too, are reported to be keeping an eye on the 22-year-old White. The Blues have had their fair share of defensive issues under new manager Frank Lampard, despite boasting a centre-back department containing Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and rising star Fikayo Tomori.
However, there have been reports that Chelsea are open to offloading Christensen, who has failed to step up this season, amid interest from AC Milan. This would explain their interest in White.
Tottenham are also believed to have scouted White in recent matches. The Lilywhites are likely to be in for defensive reinforcements with Jan Vertonghen’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, while Juan Foyth hasn’t taken off as expected. However, It will be interesting to see if Jose Mourinho goes in for someone like White instead of signing an established player.
White’s loan to Leeds United does not contain a recall clause, meaning if any of the clubs do move in on him in January, they will have to loan him back to the Championship leaders after having signed him. The report further adds that Liverpool are not looking to act on their interest at this point of time, which could leave the door open for Chelsea and Tottenham to swoop in.
White has shown great potential in his burgeoning career, which has seen him attract interest from the bigwigs of English football. However, it remains to be seen if any of the three clubs mentioned do make an attempt to land the 22-year-old.
