Brighton’s hopes of keeping Ben White could be boosted amid reports that Leeds are looking elsewhere for defensive reinforcements. The Yorkshire club had the 22-year-old on loan last season and recently submitted a £22m bid to sign him permanently, which the Seagulls rejected. However, the newly-promoted Premier League side are now looking instead at a defender from the Bundesliga, with The Telegraph reporting that they are interested in Freiburg’s Robin Koch. Koch is a twice-capped Germany international who was a mainstay of Freiburg’s defence last season, playing in all but two of their Bundesliga games as they finished just outside the European places. According to a report from O Jogo, the the 24-year-old could be available for as little as £10.8m given the downturn in the transfer market amid the global pandemic. That is less than a third of the £35m that Brighton are reportedly demanding for White, according to Football Insider. At the moment, the 22-year-old is among a plethora of central defensive options available to Seagulls manager Graham Potter. However, two of Albion’s more regular centre-backs have recently been linked with exits from the club. According to The Mirror, Chelsea are reportedly willing to pay £40m to bring Lewis Dunk to Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, the Daily Record claimed that Celtic have opened transfer talks with Shane Duffy, who has also been linked with Burnley, West Ham, West Brom and indeed Leeds. With Dunk being Brighton’s captain and a mainstay of their defence for the past six seasons, and with Duffy being an experienced Premier League player despite playing less frequently last term compared to previous campaigns, the Seagulls face a potential central defensive cull in this transfer window. However, with Leeds reportedly turning to Koch as a possible centre-back signing, that may lead to their interest in a permanent move for White diminishing, which would spell good news for Brighton amid the possibility of their other defenders being cherry-picked. Also, having played every minute of the Whites’ Championship-winning 2019/20 campaign, the 22-year-old returns to the Amex Stadium with plenty of senior experience under his belt. Brighton fans, how confident are you of keeping White at the Amex for the 2020/21 season? Have your say by commenting below! Click here to comment on this articleorGive us feedback on your Football Transfer Tavern experience #BenWhite #ShaneDuffy #LewisDunk
