This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Manchester City teenager Taylor Harwood-Bellis has emerged as a potential Leeds United target should they fail to sign Brighton defender Ben White, according to The Athletic's Phil Hay.
It was reported on Friday that the Whites have had two offers of £18.5 million and £22 million rejected for the 22-year-old, with the Seagulls understood to want £40 million for him.
Hay has suggested in an article for The Athletic that Harwood-Bellis has emerged as a potential alternative for White.
The Manchester City defender is just 18 and has made four senior appearances after being handed his debut by Pep Guardiola last term.
But would the teenager be a good signing? And is he ready for first-team Premier League football?
We asked our FLW writers for their thoughts...
Alfie Burns
You don’t play first-team games at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola if you aren’t a good player, but a Ben White alternative for Leeds? Not in my eyes.
Leeds need to sign White and if they fail to do that they need to go like-for-like and get somebody of a similar calibre.
Harwood-Bellis is a good young player and somebody that is going to have a decent future in the game, I can’t deny that, but he’s not the man to come in at Leeds and partner Liam Cooper in their first season back after 16 years.
It doesn’t feel right to put that kind of pressure on the player and you’ve got to imagine that Bielsa would edge away from doing so.
A no-go, for me.
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George Dagless
Bit early for such a question really.
He's a talented young player I'm sure but ready for the Premier League? Who can really say.
He's only 18 and we've seen little of him so to try and suggest he'll be a regular for Leeds United next season probably doesn't make much sense.
If he joins, I'm sure he'd learn a great deal but I can't see him being first-team regular.
Sam Rourke
I really like the look of this.
I've seen Harwood-Bellis play several times live and have been impressed every single time I've seen him.
At 18, the centre-back already looks like a clear-cut leader and is not afraid to make his voice heard despite his tender age.
He has all the defensive qualities you'd want from your modern-day centre-back also, he's strong in the tackle, great in the air and has the ability to pass out from the back with ease.
Of course, it would be a big ask for him to be Leeds' regular starting centre-back in the Premier League week in, week out - but if Bielsa embeds him in the right way, he could be a fantastic long-term solution for the Whites at the back.