Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are very close to securing the services of the 22-year-old Ajax defender Jurrien Timber.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have been working on acquiring the services of Jurrien Timber of late and they are closing in on full agreement. The Gunners are looking to bolster their squad ahead of next season and signing a new centre-back is one of their priorities.
Mikel Arteta’s team were in the race for the Premier League title right until the end. But the North London club fell short to the Manchester City juggernaut. The Gunners ran out of gas and somewhere the lack of defensive depth is what led to their downfall.
The Spanish manager wants to ensure that everything is in place before they once again push for the league title next season. And, his priority is to sign a new centre-back to ensure they remain competitive in the league and can even push for the UEFA Champions League title.
Ajax’s Jurrien Timber is a player that Arteta admires and would love to have in his ranks. He is a big fan of the Dutch international who has gone from strength to strength over the past few seasons.
Understand Arsenal are advancing on full agreement on personal terms with Jurrien Timber. The player has accepted to join Arsenal. 🚨⚪️🔴 #AFC
Negotiations will follow between Ajax and Arsenal in the next hours and days.
New bid expected soon. pic.twitter.com/mUqF1xKvm1
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 22, 2023
Timber was promoted to the Dutch club’s first team back in the summer of 2020, and he has not looked back since. While there was a lot of interest in him last summer, Ajax managed to keep hold of the 22-year-old by convincing him to pen down a new deal with them.
However, this time around the Ajax centre-back is keen on joining a bigger club. And, Arsenal are ready to prise him away. The Gunners have already held talks with the player’s representatives, and they have managed to agree on personal terms with the player.
With Timber ready to join the North London club, all they need to do is strike a deal with the Dutch club. Negotiations between both clubs will follow in the near future and Arsenal are expected to put forward a bid in the coming days. As per reports, a fee of around €40-45 million should be enough to strike a deal.
