Arsenal are on the verge of adding another star to their squad as their impressive work in the summer transfer market continues.
Declan Rice is set to undergo on medical on Friday ahead of his record £105 million transfer, with the Gunners having beaten Man City in the race to sign the England star. And that's having already captured Kai Havertz from London rivals Chelsea in a deal worth £68 million.
And now Mikel Arteta is set to boost his team defensively. Despite also being linked with Manchester United and Liverpool, Ajax star Jurrien Timber is on the verge of joining after the two clubs reportedly agreed a £38.7 million fee.
Arsenal are set to pay £34.3million up front for the Netherlands international, 22, with £4.3million more to potentially come in add-ons. It represents a coup for the north London club, especially given the versatile youngster has previously worked with United boss Ten Hag.
Despite Ten Hag being a huge fan, it seems the manager was initially hesitant to give the star his first team debut with Ajax. Back in March 2020, the then boss of the Dutch giants had an injury crisis to deal with as his team geared up for an away game in Heerenveen, and needed a right-sided centre-back.
Winston Bogarde, who at that stage was a member of Ten Hag’s coaching staff and had worked with Timber in the club's youth system, pleaded with him to take a risk on the 18-year-old. But former Chelsea Bogarde defender got there in the end.
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“He had to think about it and I had to convince him,” Bogarde told the Athletic. “I said, ‘I know he can do it, I know him very well’. I tried to convince Erik that I had a lot of confidence in Jurrien. Luckily, he listened. We won that game 3-1 and he played very well.”
Timber duly helped the club to the Eredivisie title in 2020/21, Ten Hag's last campaign in charge before heading Old Trafford, and was also integral as they retained the trophy the following season. And he already has 15 international caps to his name having played for his country in the World Cup in Qatar.
The deal will take Arteta's spending beyond the £200million mark this summer, as he seeks to build on last season's second placed finish. United meanwhile, have endured a frustrating few weeks despite sealing the signing of Mason Mount, amid the prolonged takeover saga still rumbling on at Old Trafford.
