Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur ‘monitoring’ Brighton & Hove Albion center back Ben White — report

The addition of a 36-year-old Thiago Silva, who’s still got “it” after a decade and a half of being one of the greatest players at his position, has certainly been a boon to Chelsea’s current efforts. However his age will inevitably catch up with him sooner than later, and we will have to find a proper long-term solution in defense at that point — or before that point, even, preferably.

One could argue that we already have several excellent candidates for such task, from young loanees such as Marc Guehi or Malang Sarr, to current first-team players like Fikayo Tomori or Andreas Christensen, or any of the countless up and coming academy and development team hopefuls. But Chelsea might also look for outside help, and according to Sky Sports, that could take the form of Ben White from Brighton & Hove Albion, who’s also being monitored by the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

The 23-year-old former Southampton youth prospect rose to prominence last season, when he played a major part in Leeds United’s Championship-winning campaign and long-awaited promotion to the Premier League. Indeed, Chelsea (and many others) have been linked for almost a year if not longer — but he chose to sign a new contract with Brighton instead in the summer, though few expect him to see out all four years of that arrangement.

Bringing White to the Bridge would certainly not be an easy task, and it would also be a risky major investment given his relative lack of top flight experience. Then again, we seem to be making all the right moves in the transfer market these days, so if those in the know choose to go down this route, who are we to complain?