According to The Sun, Chelsea are looking to bring Leeds United centre-back Ben White to Stamford Bridge in January, and manager Frank Lampard will make a big offer in order to land the £25 million-rated star.
The 22-year-old is currently on a season-long loan at Elland Road from Brighton and Hove Albion, and has since established himself as one of head coach Marcelo Bielsa’s key players.
The Blues aren’t the only top-flight team keen on White, though, and Leeds could have a huge battle on their hands. As revealed by
The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed last month that Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are also monitoring the defender, and Brighton could be tempted to cut short his loan and cash in on him.
Chelsea are looking to make up for lost time in the January transfer window after they were banned from buying players during the summer, and they have White on top of their list as they see him going into their first-team quickly having become, arguably, the best centre-back in the English Championship.
He is the only outfield player to have featured in every minute of the league campaign for Leeds, and Bielsa can’t afford to lose such an important player half-way through a very promising campaign.
Lampard appears ready to strike, though, and it will be interesting to see if the Whites can hold on to White beyond January.