Noel Whelan has said that a deal worth a potential £27m could be enough to get Leeds United to sign Ben White from Brighton and Hove Albion this summer, as quoted by Football Insider.

The Whites earned promotion from the Championship last season with defender Ben White enjoying a top campaign at the heart of their defence.

Naturally, United would like to see him back at Elland Road but, so far, their bid to get him back on a permanent basis from Brighton has been thwarted.

For Whelan, though, a little bit of extra money and some restructuring of the deal could be enough to get him in.

He said:

“I am sure Ben White would love to come to Leeds United and carry on where he left off this year. He feels settled at the club, he likes the lads at the club.

"We need Ben White. It might be a case of an initial £22million and we rise it to £27million if we stay in the Premier League – that could be a goer. That might be tempting to them.”

The Verdict

White is a very good defender and in the Premier League he could become an absolute star, that is for sure.

Plenty of sides are naturally keen on him, then, and it remains to be seen just who is able to get him.

He obviously has a relationship with Leeds and the players and that could come in handy, though Brighton hold all the cards and know that they do not need to sell until a really big offer that they can't turn down comes in.

Let's see if Whelan ends up proven right.