Arsenal have seen a first bid of £30million rejected for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber as the Gunners make more moves in the summer window.
Ajax have told the Gunners they will have to increase their offer to £50million if they want to sign the Dutch international this summer. The player is thought to be keen on the move with personal terms having already been discussed, but it’s now up to the two clubs to agree on a fee before the deal can move forward.
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 are said to be confident they will get a deal wrapped up for the Dutch international soon.
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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 working on deals to sign Declan Rice and Kai Havertz with both in advanced negotiations, however no fee has been agreed on for either player just yet. 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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