Leeds United’s chances of signing Brighton and Hove Albion’s Ben White remains the same despite the Seagulls seemingly set to land yet another defender.
According to Voetbal International, Jan-Paul van Hecke is set to sign with Brighton.
The Seagulls have already brought in Joel Veltman this summer. With Lewis Dunk, Shane Duffy, Adam Webster, Ben White and Matt Clarke on the books, there is an overload of defenders.
Van Hecke, however, won’t move to the Amex Stadium until 2021.
VI claim the Seagulls will sign the 20-year-old defender shortly for around £1.5 million but he will remain in Holland with Utrecht on a season-long loan deal.
It means the situation for Leeds and their chase for White will likely remain the same.
The central defender was a huge hit at Elland Road this past season, helping the Whites win the Championship title and return to the top-flight for the first time in 16 years.
The Brighton player perfectly suits Marcelo Bielsa’s style of play. He is extremely comfortable in possession and has the pace to step out and press off the ball.
The Sun (29 July, page 51) claims that Leeds are willing to pay £20 million to sign White permanently. The Seagulls, however, clearly value their defender highly.
The transfer saga is likely to rumble on, while Leeds may find they aren’t the only Premier League club looking at White following his terrific past 12 months.
If the Yorkshire club can’t strike a deal for White soon, they may be better off turning their attentions elsewhere as the new Premier League season is only a month or so away.
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