Jurrien Timber will more than likely have a host of elite European clubs vying for his signature after the Ajax defender revealed he has an agreement that will allow him to leave the club in the summer.
The highly-rated central defender, 21, was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League before the start of the 2022/23 campaign after impressing under Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag in Amsterdam.
After Timber opted against following his former boss to Old Trafford, his stock has continued to rise this year. And with speculation over a transfer still rife, the youngster all but confirmed a summer move was on the cards earlier this week.
Speaking to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, the Netherlands international said: “A transfer is getting closer and closer, so to speak. There is a lot of concrete interest and I have made agreements with Ajax.
“Last year, Ajax asked me to stay for at least one more season and to extend my contract. As a club boy I did that with love and after the season we agreed to review the situation.”
Reports earlier this month claimed that Timber's girlfriend has been house-hunting in Liverpool - an indication that a surprise move to the Reds could be on the cards.
However, Timber has already been very vocal about his desire to continue his development by playing at the highest level possible. And with comments he made about wanting to continue to play Champions League football, Manchester United could have the edge in any transfer race given Liverpool's spot in the top-four is far from assured.
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Speaking last year when speculation over a potential transfer was still rife, Timber said: “Of course, I can develop myself further there. I know that 100 per cent for sure. I do not feel that I am ready at the club. But at other clubs, I can also develop.
“The picture has to be right. You can go to a big club, but if you're not going to play there, it's better to stay at Ajax. And Ajax is also a big club. We play in the Champions League, and I play there together with the best players of the Netherlands. That's not nothing.”
Timber's desire to continue playing regular football, coupled with United's failure to qualify for this year's competition, is likely to have made his decision to stay for one more year at Ajax an easier one.
But after a sterling campaign under Ten Hag this year, United are firmly on course to make a return to Europe's elite knockout competition next term. And that could make all the difference in the race to acquire Timber - particularly if Liverpool cannot claw back the deficit on the teams above them in the race for the top-four.
