Leeds United’s director of football, Victor Orta, says Sergio Ramos was very impressed by Ben White’s early performances even before the player made his Premier League debut for Brighton.
The 23-year-old is currently in England’s squad for the European Championships and is one of Arsenal’s top transfer targets for this summer window.
The Gunners have reportedly made two offers for White, the latest being a deal worth £45m, but Brighton are said to be holding out for a fee around £50m.
White spent the 2019-2020 season on loan at Leeds United and played an important role in the team’s Championship-winning campaign under Marcelo Bielsa.
Before joining Leeds, White also had loan spells at Peterborough United and Newport County and Orta says that Ramos had seen the central defender in action for the Welsh club.
‘I give you an example, Ben White. He was the best player this year [in the Championship], if not best, top five. For me the best. Now he’s in the England squad,’ Orta told The Phil Hay Show.
‘Ben White doesn’t play one game in the Championship before.
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‘The loan at Newport was really good and when we start to monitor because we were watching, to be honest, I feel impressed.
‘I remember in the first moment Sergio Ramos said, ‘who is this kid? playing in the line of Newport’. And was really impressed.
“Even at Brighton [people said], ‘he’s soft, he cannot play in the Championship’. ‘But we think the skills he has fit for us, in terms of distribution, quick – all the style of our special centre-backs.’
