Arsenal: 3 most concrete summer transfer links so far

3. Ben White

Club: Brighton
Age: 23
Price: £40-£50m

When news of interest in the England international was first reported in the Mirror, a degree of scepticism emerged. That publication do get stories right but the timing of the links – England call-up and Arsenal looking for a centre-back – meant some uncertainty arose.

However, with major outlets reporting it and continuing to report it, fans best brace themselves for Arsenal bidding a rather worryingly large amount of money on a centre-back.

The latest from The Athletic is that Arsenal’s interest is yet to develop into a formal bid, but that it will arrive. Ben White is now the primary target. As far as a profile goes, he’s an excellent option. Capable of playing in either centre-back role, in a back four, in a back three and in holding midfield, his progressive qualities are precisely what Arsenal need to aid their sluggish build-up. Isn’t there someone else who is supposed to be good at that……?

White’s also young, homegrown, has more room to develop and will fetch solid resale value further down the line if it ever comes to it. Even his big price is said to not be ‘insurmountable’.

The concerns are over how much budget will be left if the deal comes off. An upgrade on Rob Holding and someone with Premier League experience is welcome, but such an outlay when other positions are arguably more important is where the question marks are. There are, of course, worries over William Saliba.

In any case, this is no smokescreen and a formal move for White is imminent.