The European Championships kicked off on Friday night and that wasn’t the only thing to make the headlines.
According to the reliable David Ornstein of The Athletic, Arsenal are readying a move for Brighton defender Ben White. The versatile Englishman was recently added to the England squad for the Euros following an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The report says that Arsenal are keen to sign a new right-sided centre-back and have explored several options, with the focus now on striking a deal for White, who Brighton would consider selling for the right price. That price, they report, looks to be in the region of £40million-£50million.
It appears this is a serious move by the club, as the report goes on to say that whilst there will be competition for White, the speed Arsenal are moving to seal this deal gives them a ‘strong chance’ of winning any race.
23-year-old White is clearly talented and very comfortable with the ball at his feet. Arsenal have of course lost David Luiz this summer and despite William Saliba set to come back to the club, it seems Arteta and Arsenal are keen to sign a top-quality right-sided defender. Where that leaves Rob Holding and Saliba himself remains to be seen.
Arsenal have a strong chance of winning the race to sign Ben White due to the speed of their pursuit for the 23-year-old. Likely to cost £40m-£50m [The Atheltic] #afc pic.twitter.com/B46s6luB6d
— Fresh Arsenal (@Fresh_Arsenal) June 11, 2021
Arsenal fans appear a bit divided on White. Most can see the players quality, but the potential price tag coupled with the other areas Arsenal really need to strengthen this summer, put question marks over any deal.
It’s possible that Arteta considers lack of Premier League experience a problem in the current Arsenal defenders. Mari and Gabriel only have limited experience, whilst Saliba is yet to feature in the English league. White would bring with him both potential but also plenty of experience of playing in England.