Leeds United have agreed a loan extension to keep Brighton defender Ben White at Elland Road until the end of the season but, according to The Athletic's Phil Hay, the Yorkshire club don't sound confident about keeping him long-term.

The Championship season gets back underway today but the league leaders will have to wait until tomorrow to resume their promotion push.

Leeds travel to Cardiff City on Sunday and will be determined to hit the ground running as they look to end their 16-year absence from the Premier League.

Yesterday, the Whites announced that they had secured short-term extensions with a number of their out-of-contract and loan players to ensure they would be available to Marcelo Bielsa until the end of the season.

Among those players is White, who has been a key figure since signing on loan from Brighton last summer – featuring in every single game this term.

Such has been the quality of the central defender's performances that suitors are reportedly lining up ahead of the summer, with Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United linked.

Following White's loan extension, Hay provided an update on Leeds' stance on the centre-back in a Q&A for The Athletic.

He said: "Leeds don't sound very confident about keeping him."

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The Verdict

This is unlikely to surprise many Leeds fans but it's interesting to get an update on the club's stance, particularly with White's loan having just been extended.

It looks as though it's going to be very difficult for the Whites to bring the 22-year-old back to Elland Road for the 2020/21 campaign but stranger things have happened.

For the time being, they'll just be pleased to have secured the loan extension to ensure White, who has proven himself one of the most impressive defenders in the Championship this season, will be available for the final nine games.