Rio Ferdinand has told Mikel Arteta the Arsenal defender he would take out of the team to accommodate summer signing Jurrien Timber. The Gunners had been in talks with Ajax regarding Timber for a number of weeks and a final agreement has now been reached which will see him undergo an Arsenal medical in the coming days.
A £30 million offer was submitted in June and following lengthy discussions over the final fee and possible add-ons, football.london understands a deal worth £38.5m, with £34.2m as the up front fee and the remaining £4.5m available in add-ons, is in place to sign the Netherlands international.
The 22-year-old was deployed at right-back for the bulk of the 2022/23 season and it is expected he will continue there as he posses a trait Mikel Arteta loves.
