Everton have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Brighton defender Ben White following a report by The Express.

What's the latest transfer news involving White?

The 23-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Amex Stadium this summer, as Arsenal have submitted official offers for the centre-back.

Everton have also recently joined the race for his signature, and have reportedly trumped the Gunners' bid for the England international, with it being claimed that the Toffees are happy to hand over more than £50m for White.

However, The Express understand that White is determined to join Arsenal rather than Everton.

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What were White's stats in 2020/21?

White has made significant progress over the past year in his maiden campaign in England's top-flight.

Playing under Graham Potter at Brighton, he featured in 36 Premier League games for the Seagulls. As per WhoScored, he blocked 22 shots and made 62 interceptions for the side - these numbers put him inside the top two in both categories amongst his teammates.

His impressive performances earned him a call-up to England's Euro 2020 squad when Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up a late injury, although he is yet to feature in the tournament for Gareth Southgate's men.

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What's been said about White?

Brighton's academy manager John Morling helped White come through the side's youth setup, and last month he spoke about how proud he is of the progress that the young defender has made over the years.

Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “He’s so calm, nothing fazes Ben. Any hurdles, he just jumps over. He just looks like he’s been there for years.

“He’s got a great work ethic, his attitude is first class. Speak to anyone at the clubs he’s been at and they’ll say he’s such a nice person. It’s really nice to see nice things happen to nice people.”

How big a setback is this for Everton?

Everton clearly had some defensive issues in 2020/21, as they shipped 48 Premier League goals - only two teams in the top half conceded more.

Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate all made at least 24 league appearances, showing that Carlo Ancelotti handed his defenders plenty of opportunities, but that  he also struggled to settle on an established pairing for much of the campaign.

By going after White, who looks to be an exciting talent that is riding the crest of a wave with England at the moment, it seemed that they could be making a big step towards fixing their frailties at the back ahead of next season.

However, they now appear to have suffered a considerable setback in their pursuit of the 6 foot defender, and this may mean that they have to turn their attentions elsewhere in order to sign a high-quality centre-back this summer.