Arsenal facing ambitious Ben White transfer hijack

They say good things come to those who wait but in football there is rarely any time to rest on one’s laurels, especially in regards to signing new players. Ben White is largely expected to be an Arsenal player once the Euros conclude for England but Everton are doing their best to prevent that.

A transfer few saw coming to fruition, predominantly since Arsenal spending £50m on anyone was a far-fetched concept prior to the window opening, has been meandering its way over the finish line for what feels like an eternity now.

Away at the Euros of present, with the expected interest in his services Arsenal made their move quick by lodging an opening £40m bid, one designed to deter other parties and push Mikel Arteta’s side at the front of the queue which they have done.

It was felt that White would be the first signing of a big summer of activity. The window is still set up to be a busy period for Arsenal with two depth signings set to be followed by a flurry of exits and other arrivals, but the Brighton defender’s involvement with England has meant this transfer has slowed down.

Arsenal facing ambitious £50m Ben White transfer hijack from Everton this summer window in a move that shouldn’t worry Gunners supporters

As per football.london, and others, White is as good as a done deal with the 23-year-old wanting to make the move to north London and the only reason a deal hasn’t been concluded yet is due to his international duties. Once the Three Lions complete (win) their tournament the move will gather pace.

There is still a valuation to meet with Arsenal’s latest offer of £42m plus £4m in add-ons has yet to meet the Seagulls’ £50m guaranteed cash demands.

Which is where Everton have entered the fray. Well, tried to, anyway.

Having appointed Rafa Benitez as the club’s new highly controversial boss, the Mail report that the Toffees are looking to back their manager immediately after his appointment with a hijack attempt for White.

While it isn’t a formal offer, Everton have indicated they are prepared to meet Brighton’s £50m valuation with guaranteed payments. £20m of that would be paid this summer and the remaining £30m would be staggered equally over the four years of the contract they would be looking to tie him down to.

Good luck to them.

Even if the Toffees were to stump up the money and both proposals were on the table, White has already indicated his desire to move to the Emirates. Benitez is also Everton’s fifth permanent manager in five years, while they only just forked out £25m on another promising young centre-back, Ben Godfrey, last October to complement the other three on the books.

There may absolutely be some truth in these reports as well as Everton’s interest – they do like to spend a lot of money, usually extremely poorly – but even for the most cynical Arsenal fans it will require another top six club to show their hand before any fears should creep in.

It’s not a deal that will be wrapped up quickly unfortunately, unless of course England don’t see past Ukraine in the quarter-finals, which would also be very, very unfortunate. Everton shouldn’t steal ahead of this one. Famous last words? You’d think not.