Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have joined Manchester United in keeping a close eye on Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Ben White.

That is according to a report by Sky Sports, who claim the three clubs are among a number of teams chasing his services.

After playing a key role in helping Leeds United seal their long-awaited return to the Premier League last season, big things were expected of White this season following his return to Brighton from his loan spell at Elland Road and he has not failed to disappoint.

The youngster, who is backed by so many to soon be handed his England debut, has started all 10 of the Seagulls' Premier League matches so far this term, helping them record two clean sheets.

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Although a clean sheet tally of two is not overly impressive, White has made an impressive start to life as a Premier League defender, with Graham Potter - the Brighton boss - having installed a great amount of faith in him following last season's loan spell with Leeds.

Before the summer transfer window closed, White was heavily linked with a permanent switch to Elland Road, as well as moves to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United. However, the Seagulls were fortunate enough to keep hold of the 23-year-old.

Nevertheless, as the January transfer window now edges closer and closer, Brighton look as though they may be forced to fend off a wave of interest in White once again, with some of the Premier League's biggest clubs sniffing around once more.

Chelsea and Spurs' reported interest in White should not came as too great a surprise, though, as data specialists Wyscout, according to their index rankings, believe White is the fourth-best performing centre-back in the Premier League so far this term behind Chelsea duo Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma, and Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes.

During the summer window, both Chelsea and Tottenham, who played out a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, strengthened their central-defensive options.

The Blues drafted in experienced Brazilian defender Silva on a free-transfer following his exit from French giants Paris Saint-Germain and Spurs added Welsh youngster Joe Rodon to their ranks from Swansea City, although they were pushing for Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar.

Leeds did all they could to land White on a permanent basis during the summer, making an offer as high as £25million. However, their efforts to land the former Peterborough United loanee failed, resulting in him putting pen to paper on a new long-term deal at the Amex Stadium, ensuring he will remain with the club until the summer of 2024.