Ben White

Arsenal no longer want to sell Ben White, injuries force their hand

The England defender (28, contract until 2028) has been overtaken in the pecking order by Jurrien Timber and battled injuries this season. Arsenal blocked any January exit but are open to a summer sale. Everton are reported in pole position for a fee around £20-25m, well below the £50m Arsenal paid Brighton in 2021.

Latest development

1. 20/08 (evening)Arsenal shut the door, and the treatment room explains why.

   TEAMtalk, relayed by TheHardTackle on 20 August, report that Arsenal no longer intend to sell Ben White this summer despite continued interest from Everton, who want a right-back before the window shuts. The reason is simple: the state of the defence. William Saliba is still out after aggravating his back injury with France, and Jurriën Timber has not returned to training following a groin procedure — Arteta confirmed as much the same day. In that context White's versatility, at centre-back and at right-back, is a resource Arsenal do not want to give up, even once Konsa has arrived.

   What is established: no outlet now describes Arsenal as willing sellers, and Everton never lodged a bid. What is not: neither Ornstein, Romano, Sky nor the BBC has spoken about this U-turn, which rests on TEAMtalk and its relays — and those same sources wrote the exact opposite on 17 August, namely that Arsenal would release White as soon as Konsa signed. So we move the file to cooled rather than denied: it is dying for lack of an authorised buyer, not formally shot down. If Everton table an offer in the final ten days, it reopens.

   Football Insider (exclusive) reports Everton could complete a deal for £20-25m; TeamTalk and FootballTransfers confirm Arsenal are open to a sale if the right offer comes in, with his market value down to ≈€42m (Transfermarkt). Nuance from Football Insider (July 2): White could be prepared to snub Everton if given playing-time assurances at Arsenal — he has recently won back a place in Arteta's side, with competition from Timber the main uncertainty. Newcastle also mentioned as competition to Everton. No official bid known yet — an early-stage (interest) dossier.

2. July 4

   : White's recovery from his MCL knee injury is reportedly progressing well, with a return targeted for pre-season — a factor that could weigh on his decision to stay and fight for his place rather than leave.

3. July 19

   : this one is closing. Gary Jacob (The Times), relayed by DailyCannon, writes that White's future is «clouded by injury» — a serious medial knee ligament problem picked up in May 2026, which cooled Everton's and Crystal Palace's interest and mechanically lowered any likely offer. Add that White is unwilling to drop a level, and an exit this summer now looks markedly less likely than it did in June. Worth noting as background, with no established causal link: Arsenal are also dealing with uncertainty around William Saliba, who played several months with a back fracture and could miss four to five months if surgery is chosen (L'Équipe, via ArsenalNews). Status moved to REFROIDI.

4. 17 Augthe file reopens.

   Football Insider wrote on 16 August that Everton are ready to move back in for White, picked up afterwards by TeamTalk, TheHardTackle and Yahoo Sports. Two new elements justify lifting the line out of COOLED OFF: White is said to have spent the summer recovering fully from the May knee ligament injury — the very thing that put Everton off in July — and to be open to Goodison if it means starting again, having played just 12 Premier League games last season and 17 the season before. The condition is explicit, and it is not in Everton's hands: the Merseysiders will only move once Arsenal have settled the Ezri Konsa deal, which is itself stuck on a £20m gap with Aston Villa (see the Konsa entry). What is established: Everton's interest, documented since June, and their need for a right-back. What is not: no bid, no fee renegotiated, no first-rank source on this revival — hence a return to INTEREST and ONE TO WATCH, no higher.

5. 19/08the condition is cleared, and the next move is not Arsenal's.

   Everton were waiting on Konsa before moving for White, and Arsenal agreed a deal with Aston Villa on 19 August, with a medical set for Thursday. The blocker on the north London side is gone. What has not changed: Everton still have not made a bid, no price has been renegotiated between the clubs, and no top-tier source is covering the White file itself. The line stays at INTEREST, but this is the week it could move.