Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will have to pay over £50 million for Ben White, according to The Sun.
What’s the story?
The Guardian reported this week that Arsenal are confident of signing White from Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Gunners had their first offer of £40 million for the defender turned down, but they had made a new bid and were confident of getting the transfer done.
However, The Sun are now reporting that Arsenal’s second bid of £42 million plus £3 million in add-ons has been rejected.
Brighton want £50 million plus add-ons for the 23-year-old England international defender, described as “excellent” by Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa on Leeds Live in January 2021.
On Friday, here on HITC Sport, we covered journalist Duncan Castles claiming on the Transfer Window Podcast that Brighton want Arsenal to revise the structure of the deal.
Twist
Earlier this month, The Daily Mail reported that former Leeds loanee White is keen on a move to Arsenal.
That does not seem to have changed.
The twist is that Brighton want more than what Arsenal thought.
The Gunners were reportedly confident of getting the deal done for £45 million plus £5 million in add-ons, according to The Guardian.
But it seems that Arsenal will have to increase their offer to £50 million plus add-ons.
Brighton are playing hardball, and it will be interesting to see what the Gunners do now.
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