Arsenal have tried to gazump Liverpool and Manchester United by making a bid for Jurrien Timber – but they remain way short of Ajax’s asking price.
Timber has attracted interest from top Premier League sides following a solid campaign for Ajax. The 22-year-old defender made 47 appearances in all competitions for the Dutch giants last season and looks likely to leave Amsterdam in the summer transfer window.
He has previously been linked with Liverpool and United, but the Gunners have made the first move. The Athletic says Arsenal have tabled a £30million bid for the defender, which is £20m short of Ajax’s asking price.
Timber is under contract with Ajax until June 2025 and, although they have a history of selling their best players, they don’t do so cheaply. Last summer, United had to fork out £87.5m to sign Antony and £56m for Lisandro Martinez, while Barcelona paid £65m for Frenkie de Jong and Juventus shelled out £68m for Matthijs de Ligt.
While primarily a central defender, Timber is capable of playing at right-back and already has 15 caps for the Netherlands. Speaking to Algemeen Dagblad in May, Timber said he’d met with sporting director Sven Mislintat and would be happy to stay put in Amsterdam for now.
“I met him (Mislintat) here at De Toekomst and then we spoke briefly and one-on-one. He spoke longer with my agent. As far as I know, Ajax wants to keep me here,” he said.
“Beyond that, I can hardly say anything about it. Talks about that will probably follow soon. Actually, I am now in the same situation as last year. I don’t know yet whether I will make that step now. I’m happy to be at Ajax – here you can always show yourself.”
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However, he has previously admitted that he has spoken to his international team-mates about leaving his home country to further his career. “A transfer is getting closer and closer, so to speak,” he revealed to De Telegraaf in April. “There is a lot of concrete interest and I have made agreements with Ajax.
“Last year Ajax asked me to stay for at least one more season and to extend my contract. As a club boy, I did that with love and after the season we will review the situation. At the Dutch national team, I often talk to boys who play football abroad. I want to take that step someday.”
Arsenal are set to be busy in the summer transfer window, with a move for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice the top priority for Mikel Arteta’s side. But further depth in defence is also needed, with the injury to William Saliba coinciding with their dip in results during the title run-in last season.
