Ajax reportedly reaches €40 million deal to transfer Jurriën Timber to Arsenal
Amsterdam football club Ajax has reportedly agreed to a 40 million euro transfer offer for defender Jurriën Timber. The offer was submitted by English club Arsenal, which increased their bid from two weeks ago by about 5 million euros. Ajax can also receive an additional 5 million euros based on the 22-year-old's performance at the Premier League team, The Athletic and AD reported on Wednesday
The deal is still pending a medical evaluation, and Timber's representatives need to finalize his contract with his new club. Ajax had been seeking 55 million euros for their star defender, Voetbal Primeur reported last month.
Timber was believed to be charmed by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is impressed with the multifaceted defender. Arsenal will be looking to make a strong run both at home and abroad. They qualified for the upcoming Champions League group stage, with matches set to be played in mid-September and December. They wound up in second in the English Premier League last year, and the team was eliminated by Manchester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
This year, Ajax missed out on the Champions League after a disappointing finish in the Eredivisie. It was the Amsterdam club's worst finish in 14 years. The 40 million euros in guaranteed money can go a long way to helping the Amsterdam club close up holes on its primary men's team as new trainer Maurice Steijn takes the reins for the next three years.
Timber has played 15 times for the Dutch men's national team, with a first appearance in 2021. He has also consistently played for the national youth teams, starting with the under-15 squad.
He spent the last nine years in Amsterdam, playing 85 matches in the Eredivisie, with six goals scored. He started with Utrecht football club DVSU, before moving to Feyenoord's youth program in 2008 along with his brother, Quintin. The pair then left for Ajax together, and Jurriën signed his first professional deal with the Eerste Divisie club, Jong Ajax, in 2018.
