Brighton owner and chairman Tony Bloom has suggested that the Seagulls have an abundance of centre-backs and that "some very good players" will leave the club before the end of the transfer window, which could boost Leeds United's hopes of signing Ben White.
Leeds are understood to have made White one of their top targets this summer after he was integral to their Championship title triumph and subsequent promotion to the Premier League in the 2019/20 campaign.
The central defender joined on a season-long loan last summer and featured in every game for the Whites last term, helping them to concede the fewest goals in the division and keep the most clean sheets.
The 22-year-old's performances appear to have turned some heads, with Manchester City and Liverpool among the sides linked with a potential move.
Brighton boss Graham Potter has indicated that he's sees White's future at the AMEX Stadium but, in an interview with The Athletic, Bloom has indicated that some players will leave the club this summer and highlighted the amount of players they have at his position.
He said: "I’m not going to speculate on whether we may or may not get offers for many of our players.
"We certainly do have an abundance of centre-backs and there are constant discussions between myself and Graham and Dan (Ashworth, technical director) and the recruitment team about what our needs are, what’s going to be happening.
“There will be some players who go out on loan at some point during pre-season or the first few weeks of the season. There are lots of things to make decisions on, but it’s a really good thing that we’ve got some very good players in our squad, not all of whom will be in our squad come the end of the transfer window.”
Brighton signed Ajax defender Joel Veltman for £900,000 last week, meaning the centre-back options at Potter's disposal now include the Dutchman, Lewis Dunk, Shane Duffy, Adam Webster, Dan Burn, and returning loanees White and Matt Clarke.
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The Verdict
Leeds' chances of signing White still seem quite slim, given it seems Potter is keen to hold onto him and that a number of the Premier League big guns are thought to be keen.
However, these comments from Bloom do seem to offer a glimmer of hope and should excite Leeds fans.
The Seagulls owner and chairman highlights that they're overstocked at centre-back and that some quality players will leave the club this summer. He may not specifically be referring to White here but his admissions certainly seem to indicate that defenders may be leaving the club this summer, Leeds will be hoping that the 22-year-old is among them.
He's refused to speculate on offers for players but reports elsewhere have indicated that Leeds will be bidding for the defender, it will be interesting to see whether they can prize the 22-year-old away.