Manchester United have reportedly made an enquiry over the potential signing of Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben White in the summer transfer window.
According to an update from journalist Jonathan Shrager on Twitter, Premier League giants Manchester United have submitted an enquiry for Brighton & Hove Albion star Ben White as the club eyes defensive reinforcements in the summer transfer window.
White, a product of the Brighton youth academy, burst onto the scenes last season when he excelled while on loan at Leeds United, helping them earn promotion back to the Premier League. Having returned to Brighton in the summer, the young centre-half has enjoyed an impressive debut campaign in the top-flight, even though his team are perilously close to the drop zone.
White has missed just one of Brighton’s 27 Premier League games this term and has impressed with his ball-playing abilities as well as his versatile nature, having at times played as a defensive midfielder and as a right wing-back as well.
The 23-year-old’s progress over the past couple of years has led to admiring glances from a number of top clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester United. And as per the latest update from Shrager, the latter have made their first move in an attempt to land White by making an enquiry for him.
Manchester United, of late, have been quite solid at the back. However, both Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof have struggled with injuries this term while captain Harry Maguire isn’t always convincing enough, as was seen in the Red Devils’ most recent fixture against AC Milan.
So, adding another centre-half in the summer would be a welcome move for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who looks to turn this Manchester United team into a title-winning unit. To that end, the 20-time English champions have been linked with a number of players, including Juventus’ star Matthijs de Ligt as well as Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli.
And, it now seems that White, too, may be high on the club’s transfer wishlist, with Shrager insisting that Manchester United are continuing to monitor the English centre-back closely. However, they may have to face stiff competition from arch-rivals Liverpool, who are ready to launch an offer for him.
It is hardly surprising to see the amount of interest that White is attracting given how he has developed since last season. However, it remains to be seen if Manchester United’s enquiry for the 23-year-old leads to anything substantial or whether they prioritise other targets to bolster their defensive unit in the summer.