Arsenal have an agreement in principle to sign Netherlands international Jurrien Timber from Ajax for £38.5m; Gunners have also struck a £105m deal to sign Declan Rice from West Ham following negotiations over the payment structure
Wednesday 5 July 2023 16:26, UK
Arsenal have reached an agreement to sign Ajax defender Jurrien Timber in a deal worth £38.5m.
The Gunners will pay an initial £34.2m for the 22-year-old Netherlands international, with a further £4.3m payable in performance-related add-ons.
Timber, who came through the Ajax academy and has made 160 senior appearances for the club, is expected to have a medical in the coming days and finalise personal terms ahead of the move.
He has been a long-term target for Arsenal and is set to become their third signing of the summer following the £65m arrival of Kai Havertz and the imminent £105m deal for West Ham's Declan Rice.
Timber is being signed by Arsenal as a right-back but he can also play at centre-back and has previously attracted interest from Manchester United.
He has 15 caps for the Netherlands and started four of their five games at last year's World Cup in Qatar, where they were knocked out by eventual winners Argentina in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, with a deal for Rice also finalised, it is thought Arsenal will sanction Granit Xhaka's departure to Bayer Leverkusen.
The 30-year-old former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder is eager to return to the Bundesliga following seven years at the Emirates Stadium and the fee under discussion is £21.5m.
Xhaka could be followed through the exit door by striker Folarin Balogun. The 22-year-old, who scored 22 goals in 39 games on loan at Reims last year, is wanted by Inter Milan, AC Milan, RB Leipzig, Monaco and Marseille.
Arsenal will allow the academy graduate to leave and value him at around £50m.
The Gunners are also exploring viable exit options for Cedric Soares, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nicolas Pepe.
Sky Sports' Nick Wright:
At only 22 years old but with nearly 200 senior games for club and country already behind him, Timber offers exactly the blend of youth and experience that Arsenal now look for in new additions.
He also brings versatility and adaptability. Timber has played primarily as a centre-back in a back four for Ajax and usually operates in a back three for the Dutch national team. But he is equally capable of slotting in at right-back and also has the capacity to tuck into midfield.
Those qualities are crucial for Arteta, who likes his full-backs to step into central areas in possession, and there are plenty of other factors to appeal to the Arsenal boss.
Timber is regarded as an excellent defender, strong in the tackle and in aerial challenges too, but his biggest strength lies in his passing ability. Timber is excellent on the ball and the statistics underline his importance to Ajax in that regard.
Last season in the Eredivisie, he had more touches and made more passes than any other player in the division. He also ranked top for forward passes, underlining his capacity to not only recycle possession but pierce opposition lines and launch attacks.
That ability is sure to be crucial to Arsenal, whose defenders are required to withstand opposition pressing and provide a starting point for the team's attacks. Arteta will hope to harness Timber's talent for that side of the game next season and beyond.
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
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