Arsenal’s astonishing summer recruitment drive is looking to continue with the north London side having tabled a 30m euro bid for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber in an attempt to bolster their defence.
The Gunners have already made offers for Premier League pair Kai Havertz and Declan Rice, with both having been rejected but second offers having been made for both and optimism that both deals get done.
Meanwhile, they are keen to add a second midfielder and have identified Southampton’s Romeo Lavia as a potential option in that area, with personal terms close to being agreed for the relegated teenager.
According to David Ornstein, that is not their only iron in the fire, with the Athletic reporting that ‘personal terms are believed to be in place’ for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, and an opening offer of £30m has already been tabled, though the Dutch side are holding out for closer to £50m.
The 22-year-old has long been linked with a move away from Amsterdam, and has suggested that this summer may be the time to move on after another 34 appearances this season.
In April, Timber admitted that a transfer away from Ajax was ‘“getting closer and closer” after being linked to Manchester United for much of last summer, only for the Red Devils to opt for defensive partner Lisandro Martinez instead.
“Will I stay with Ajax anyway? I’m not sure, I can’t say that. I’m not in talks with Ajax now. My agent had a good talk a few times, but it’s not like we’re talking about anything right now”, he added.
As per the London Evening Standard, ‘the Dutch giants want closer to £50m but Arsenal are optimistic that a deal can be reached’, with a compromise around £40m possible.
Capable of playing at centre-back or in Ben White’s inverted fullback role, Timber would be a major improvement on Rob Holding, who was asked to fill in during William Saliba’s injury absence at the end of last season.
