Arsenal have submitted a second official proposal to Ajax, in order to get a deal for centre-back Jurriën Timber completed this week.
Talks have progressed between the clubs after Arsenal’s opening bid of £30m was rejected. Personal terms have already been agreed with Timber, with the 22-year-old expected to sign a five-year contract if a transfer fee can be negotiated.
An Ajax youth academy product who can also play at right-back, Timber has won 15 caps for the Netherlands and will provide necessary defensive depth for Mikel Arteta’s side as they prepare for their Champions League return next season.
Brentford have announced the signing of the highly-rated South Korean centre-back, Kim Ji-soo, on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
Kim joins Brentford from K-League Two side Seongnam and will initially link up with the club’s B team. “Ji-soo is an excellent prospect who was in demand from many teams in Europe this summer,” said the club’s director of football, Phil Giles.
“We will give Ji-Soo all the time he needs to learn English, adapt to life in England and grow into our club in the B team,” Giles added. “Like all of our B-team players he will earn the opportunity to train and play with the first team based on his performances.”
After breaking into the Seongnam first team in January 2022, Kim was selected in a K League all-star team to face Tottenham in a friendly game last summer. The 18-year-old impressed at the recent Under-20 World Cup finals in Argentina as South Korea finished fourth, and had attracted interest from Bayern Munich and Sporting.
West Ham want to sign a new centre-back this summer and are interested in Sunderland’s Dan Ballard. David Moyes has been tracking Ballard for a while and could decide to bid for the Northern Ireland international.
Much will depend on how West Ham decide to reinvest the funds that they are expected to receive from Arsenal for their key midfielder, Declan Rice. Moyes wants two additions in central midfield and is interested in the Leicester City winger, Harvey Barnes.
There could also be room for incomings in defence. West Ham expect to sell the versatile full-back, Ben Johnson, this summer and they have been made aware that the Germany defender, Thilo Kehrer, could leave despite only joining from Paris Saint-Germain last summer. Kehrer is capable of playing in the middle and in both full-back positions. He had an inconsistent first year in English football.
West Ham’s need for more depth behind Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd in central defence is clear. Angelo Ogbonna returned from a long-term knee injury last year and Zouma’s fitness record is unreliable, while Craig Dawson and Issa Diop have both left the club in the past 12 months. Ballard, 23, joined Sunderland from Arsenal last year and has done well in the Championship. West Ham have scouted him and have been impressed with his performances.
Milan are advancing in talks with Chelsea over the signing of Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Chelsea want around £17m for Loftus-Cheek and are unlikely to make it difficult for the midfielder to leave.
Milan are set to sell Sandro Tonali to Newcastle for £60m plus add-ons and need to replace the Italy midfielder. Loftus-Cheek has struggled with injuries since rupturing an achilles tendon in 2019 and made 19 appearances for Chelsea last season. The 27-year-old has one year left on his deal and Chelsea are focused on cutting their squad.
Chelsea would also be prepared to sell the USA winger, Christian Pulisic, to Milan. The Senegal goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, is close to moving to Saudi Arabia and joining Al-Ahli for £16m. Manchester United have left their offer of £50m plus £5m for Mason Mount on the table and Chelsea are waiting to see if Internazionale step up their attempts to sign Romelu Lukaku. Juventus are also interested in Lukaku.
