Arsenal have reached a full agreement with Ajax over the signing of Jurrien Timber, with the deal now just pending a medical and personal terms.
David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that Arsenal have now reached a ‘full agreement’ with Ajax to sign Dutch international defender Jurrien Timber.
The final deal was agreed at a fee of €40m (£34.3m) plus €5m (£4.3m) in bonuses described as “largely realistic”.
So, the total package could end up costing a little under £39m, up from Arsenal’s original bid of £30m.
Timber has been granted permission to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms with Arsenal.
It’s worth mentioning that news of an agreed deal for Timber had broken on social media earlier in the day, from a somewhat unusual source.
A Twitter account by the name of John Grayling had posted that the deal was done, with the medical this week. Grayling had also broken the news of Arsenal’s first bid before anyone else had reported it.
Popular football insider Team news and ticks tweeted that Grayling’s information was “spot on”.
Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail has repeatedly reported that Arsenal are planning for Timber’s medical to take place by the end of the week, and with the deal now agreed, that seems set to be the case.
As with Declan Rice, there’s now a possibility Timber could link up with Arsenal in time for the pre-season trip to Germany.
Arsenal’s internationals are due to arrive back in training on Saturday, before travelling to Germany to begin the pre-season tour on Sunday.
However, the internationals joining up with the squad this weekend are reportedly not expected to play a significant role in that fixture, so soon after starting training.
The subsequent tour of the U.S. is the more likely unofficial debut date for Timber, Rice, and Kai Havertz.
Mikel Arteta and Edu reportedly believe Timber is capable of operating as an inverted right-back at Arsenal, playing in midfield when the team are in possession.
Oleksandr Zinchenko played that role on the other side last season, but Arsenal finished the campaign with Thomas Partey playing the inverted right-back role in Zinchenko’s injury absence.
Timber would be a better fit for the position, with a lot more experience at right-back and plenty of quality on the ball too.
The 22-year-old made 47 appearances for Ajax in the 2022/23 campaign, and he’s also a Dutch international, playing 15 times for the national team.
Arsenal’s Pre-Season Fixtures
- Thursday, July 13th, 18:00 – FC Nurnberg vs Arsenal
- Thursday, July 20th, 01:30 – MLS All-Stars vs Arsenal
- Saturday, July 22nd, 22:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester United
- Wednesday, July 26th, 03:30 (TBC) – Arsenal vs Barcelona
- Wednesday, August 2nd, 18:00 – Arsenal vs Monaco
- Sunday, August 6th, 16:00 – Arsenal vs Manchester City
Times in BST