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Hay: Leeds want option to buy in White deal

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Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay has claimed that Leeds want an option to buy for Brighton centre-back Ben White if they bring him in on loan. 

This comes after previous reports, including one from Football Insider, stated that Leeds were interested in signing the 21-year-old defender.

Hay was responding to a Leeds fan on Twitter who asked: “Do you see Leeds agreeing a view to buy with White?”

Hay replied, “That’s what they’d want”.

Hay followed that up by saying that Brighton would prefer a straight loan but Leeds would try to push the option in negotiations.

Hay said that White has been described as a “good player” by people he’s spoken to.

OPINION

Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa said at the start of last season that his preference was for a lean squad with a set group of players all getting regular game time. He stuck to his guns and didn’t bring in reinforcements in January. However, what Bielsa might not have calculated for was just how tough the Championship is and the number of injuries his squad was going to suffer. That was put at close to 50 back in March – an astonishing number for a single campaign. Injuries led to Kalvin Phillips playing 13 times at centre-back last season, away from his normal defensive-mid role, and it seems that Bielsa now wants to strengthen at the back this summer. Adding in an option to buy White if he works out makes complete sense from the Leeds perspective but Brighton may not be willing to part permanently with a young player who impressed at Peterborough last season with 15 appearances and a goal in League One. Brighton are keen to see how White develops at a higher level but it’s been reported by The Argus that they want assurances from Leeds that they’re not just looking to bring him in as cover. That could end up scuppering the deal as we think that Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson will start the season as first-choice centre-backs. Of course, there is still a chance that a player like Jansson could be moved on, but while that might convince Brighton, it wouldn’t solve the problem of numbers at the back for Leeds and White has no experience above League One. 

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