Brighton have rejected a £40m bid from Arsenal for defender Ben White.
Talks are ongoing between the two clubs.
Arsenal are expected to go back with an improved offer for the 23-year-old centre-back, who made 36 Premier League appearances for Brighton this season after spending the 2019-20 season on loan at Leeds.
White impressed as Brighton survived relegation and finished 16th in the Premier League with the joint-best defence in the bottom half of the league (46 goals conceded).
White was a mainstay for Brighton in the 2020-21 season
White earned his first England call-up in May when he was named in Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2020.
He was one of seven players cut from the squad on June 1 but later replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Arsenal are looking to bolster their defence after finishing eighth in the Premier League and missing out on European football for the first time since the 1994-95 season.
Last season, Gabriel, Calum Chambers, Pablo Mari, and Rob Holding were the most-used players in the middle as Arsenal conceded the third-fewest league goals behind only Manchester City and Chelsea.
Emile Smith Rowe: Arsenal reject bid from Aston Villa for forward
Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe is subject to interest from Aston Villa
Arsenal have rejected a bid from Aston Villa for forward Emile Smith Rowe.
The Gunners are not entertaining offers for the player and remain hopeful he will sign a new contract. Smith Rowe’s current deal runs until the summer of 2023.
The academy product impressed during the 2020/21 campaign, scoring seven times and making seven assists in 37 appearances in all competitions.
Smith Rowe has enjoyed loan spells at Huddersfield and RB Leipzig but has shone since breaking through into the Arsenal first team under Mikel Arteta last year.
The 20-year-old helped the Gunners to an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League this season.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are keen on signing Mat Ryan on a permanent deal after he spent the second half of this season on loan at the Emirates Stadium.
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