Manchester United, Chelsea & Tottenham Tracking Brighton's Ben White
By Max Cooper
Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are all monitoring the development of Brighton defender Ben White, as he continues to make strides in the top flight.
The 23-year-old burst onto the scene while on loan at Leeds United last season, helping them earn promotion to the top tier from the Championship. Now back at parent club Brighton, White has maintained his stellar form, and his rise to fame has captured the attention of the Premier League's heavyweights.
According to Sky Sports, Man Utd, Chelsea and Spurs have all been watching White's progress closely, and are weighing up moves for the defender.
And with good reason, it appears. Statistics collected by digital scouting service Wyscout suggest that White is the fourth-best performing centre-back in the Premier League this season, behind Blues duo Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva, along with Arsenal starlet Gabriel.
It's data like this which has caused the Premier League elite to sit up and take note of the Brighton star, even with the Seagulls languishing in 16th position in the table. The defender's ability to bring the ball out from the back, as well as occasionally moving into midfield when called upon, makes him an attractive prospect to plenty of big name coaches.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is one of the managers desperate to bolster his backline, having clearly written off the abilities of Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones at Old Trafford. 90min recently learned that United are indeed keen on a centre-back, with Villarreal and Spain defender Pau Torres on their shortlist.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard will also be assessing his options, despite possessing the two best centre-backs in the league (by Wyscout's reckoning, anyway). 90min understands that the Blues are also keeping an eye on Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli.
Tottenham are also believed to be monitoring White, despite having signed Joe Rodon from Swansea on transfer deadline day. A source has also told 90min that Spurs are also keen on a move for Sassuolo defender Gian Marco Ferrari in January.
Whoever does snap up White will have to part ways with a significant amount of cash, though. Leeds tried to sign the defender in the summer and offered up to £25m for his services, but Brighton rejected their advances and tied him down to a new contract.