Leeds United tried to sign defender Ben White from Brighton on a permanent deal this summer, according to Football Insider.

The 21-year-old joined Leeds on a season-long loan during the summer and has made an impressive start to his career at Elland Road.

White has played every minute of football for Leeds so far this season and has formed a solid partnership with captain Liam Cooper at centre-back.

According to Football Insider, Leeds pushed for there to be an obligation for them to sign White permanently at the end of the season to be included in his loan deal.

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However, Brighton made it very clear during transfer negotiations that they were only interested in a standard loan deal, as they believe that White has the potential to become an important player for them in the Premier League in the future.

White has made two senior appearances for Brighton so far, having spent the second half of last season on loan at Peterborough United in League One and the previous campaign on loan at Newport County in the fourth tier.

The Verdict

I've been really impressed with the start that White has made to his Leeds career and it's hard to believe that he'd never played in the Championship before.

He's clearly a very talented footballer and he's shown in just four matches for Leeds that he's going to be an extremely important player for the Whites this season. Bielsa is clearly a big fan of the defender and it's not that surprising that Leeds tried to sign him on a permanent deal.

It would have been great business for Leeds if they were able to sign him on a permanent deal and perhaps White could have been tempted by the prospect of a permanent move to Elland Road. It's easy to understand why Brighton want to keep him though, given the potential that he's shown for Leeds so far.