Arsenal have reached a verbal agreement with Ajax over the transfer of Jurrien Timber.
Arsenal recently submitted a £30million bid for the Dutch defender which Ajax rejected last week. However negotiations continued and according to Florian Plettenberg, the two clubs have now reached a verbal agreement for the transfer of Jurrien Timber to North London this summer.
The expected transfer fee is around £40million with the player wanting the move to Arsenal. Bayern Munich were said to be interested in the player, however Timber only wanted Arsenal and it appears the Gunners are close to getting the deal done early in the summer window.
Mikel Arteta wants a versatile defender who is good on the ball and can start out at right back and move into midfield just as Oleksandr Zinchenko does on the opposite flank. It is the next step in the Spaniard’s plan at Arsenal ahead of next season.
Timber was a target for Manchester United last summer while Liverpool have also been credited with interest in recent months but Arsenal look to be the Premier League club that have made the first moves this summer with a deal almost done.
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Arsenal are set to have one of their biggest transfer windows in the clubs history with the Gunners set for a return to the Champions League for the first time in seven years.
The Gunners are currently also working on deals to sign both Declan Rice and Kai Havertz. Arsenal are still working on agreeing a fee with West Ham for their club captain with a third bid expected to be submitted early next week, while Kai Havertz has undergone his medical in Spain this weekend ahead of a move from Chelsea to Arsenal. The German international will be the Gunners’ first signing of the summer window.
Arsenal are also considering Southampton’s Romeo Lavia as they await offers for Thomas Partey while Granit Xhaka has an offer from Bayer Leverkusen.
Timber would provide valuable competition for Ben White who started the majority of games at right back last season, as well as Takehiro Tomiyasu who can play anywhere across the back four.
Timber made his Ajax debut in 2020 and since then he’s made a total of 121 appearances for the club with 47 of those coming last season. He’s been a very important player for the Dutch side as he helped Ajax win the Eredivisie title twice out of the last three seasons.
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🚨Jurrien Timber is on the verge of joining Arsenal for a fee of around £40million.
A verbal agreement is in place, as per @Plettigoal. pic.twitter.com/5MWnVoevNG
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) June 24, 2023
