In back-to-back seasons, two sleeping giants in English football have rightfully earned promotion back to the Premier League – Aston Villa and Leeds United.
There’s no doubt that Leeds played the more spectacular football under the world-renowned Marcelo Bielsa, whilst Villa came steaming in from nowhere to break records and earn promotion via the play-offs.
During their promotion campaigns, two loan signings in Ben White and Tyrone Mings stood out by playing a pivotal, influential and calming roles from the back for those respective clubs.
Mings, who is the more experienced out of the two, joined Villa on-loan during the January window of 2019 before the Midlands outfit paid Bournemouth up to £27 million for his services last summer. [The Guardian].
There’s no doubt that was an inflated price for Mings’ signature, but one of the main reasons behind that was Villa desperately wanted him and promotion had added more millions onto his price tag.
Leeds face a similar situation with White [The Daily Star], who perhaps had a bigger impact than Ming and has more to offer because he is younger.
Not only that, but the Brighton man also was at Elland Road for the entire season and it seems as though his parent club actually want to keep him, whilst it was clear that Bournemouth were happy to see Mings leave. That in itself makes it harder for the Yorkshire side to capture their man.
Considering all of the above, if Villa had to pay close to £30 million for Mings then it begs the question what sort of money Leeds will have to put on the table for White because it wouldn’t be a surprise if £40 million-plus is needed, at the very least.
Prices in the Premier League, and especially for English players, are inflated and it seems those in the boardroom at Elland Road may have to spend way over the top to get the ball-playing centre-back.
Whether that happens remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if White is playing at the Amex Stadium next season simply because of the ridiculous price Leeds would have to pay for his signature.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
