Brighton and Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom has handed Manchester United a huge boost in their pursuit for centre-back Ben White.
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White, 23, joined Brighton’s youth academy all the way back in 2014.
After completing several successful loan spells, including a season with Leeds United, White has emerged as one of Graham Potter’s most trusted defenders.
Forming a decent partnership with commanding skipper Lewis Dunk, White has gone on to have an impressive campaign at the heart of the Seagulls’ defence.
However, following the complications the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is having, Brighton may be forced to offload White, who is reportedly a summer target for the Red Devils.
Addressing the possibility of losing White once the summer transfer window open, chairman Bloom, who spoke to BBC Radio Sussex (as quoted by MEN), said: “This season and the previous season have been really tough financially. We have lost over £50m purely because of Covid over the two seasons. That money is never coming back.
“So, we have to be as prudent as we can in the coming seasons and try and be as competitive as we can.
“It is not easy, it is not easy for us or other clubs and some of the bigger clubs would have lost a lot more money because of the income that they get from bigger grounds and their huge hospitality and sponsorship compared to us.
“So, we have all got to manage that situation. I think we will see over the next two to three transfer seasons that things will be a little bit different than there have been historically.”
Last season, White, who is valued at £25.2m, featured in 39 matches, in all competitions and was one of the sides consistently better performers throughout.