Manchester United are reportedly leading the race to sign Ajax Amsterdam’s 20-year-old defensive starlet Jurrien Timber.
According to reputed journalist Jonathan Shrager, Manchester United have emerged as the front-runner in pursuit of Jurrien Timber. The Ajax youngster has become one of the club’s priority targets in the upcoming summer transfer window, with new coach Erik ten Hag keen on shoring up his options at the back.
Timber most recently played under the tutelage of ten Hag. In fact, the Dutch tactician has played a critical role in the 20-year-old defender’s meteoric rise to prominence in recent years, with the player going on to make 74 competitive appearances for Ajax since making his debut during the 2019/20 campaign.
A centre-back by trade, Timber has made quite an impression with his dogged, no-nonsense defensive mentality coupled with his aggression, athleticism and pace. Many even regard him as the next big defensive prospect in the Netherlands after Matthijs de Ligt, who was curiously wanted by incoming Manchester United manager ten Hag earlier this month.
But with the Juventus starlet set to cost a fortune, ten Hag has set his sights on the young Timber. The Dutchman is confident of the youngster’s abilities and he has what it takes to become a first-team regular at Manchester United.
From a sporting perspective, Timber is likely to serve as a direct replacement for Eric Bailly. The Ivorian has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford and is expected to leave Manchester United at the end of the season amid interest from Newcastle United and most recently Lyon.
Manchester United are further set to offload Phil Jones in the summer, thus paving the way for Timber to compete with the likes of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire, two underperforming centre-backs, for a place in the starting eleven next season.
The 20-year-old Ditch defender’s strong relationship with ten Hag could go a long way in handing Manchester United the boost in the pursuit of the Ajax starlet. But the Red Devils could be asked to cough up a sizable fee for the youngster, so a lot will depend on how the club manage to offload the fringe players such as Bailly and Jones in the coming summer.
Manchester United will also need to be careful of the competition from Bayern Munich. The Bavarians are in the market for a new defender following the exit of Niklas Sule, with Jurrien Timber reportedly emerging as one of Julian Nagelsmann’s desired targets.
