Arsenal, the London-based club, has reportedly reached an agreement for the transfer of Dutch defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax.
The Gunners have been active in the transfer market, recently confirming the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea for a fee exceeding £65 million. Additionally, they have agreed to a British record transfer with West Ham for England international Declan Rice, which will total £105 million.
Initially, Arsenal's opening offer of €35 million for Timber fell significantly below Ajax's €60 million asking price. However, according to De Telegraaf, the two clubs have now reached a verbal agreement on a deal worth €47 million. The package consists of a fixed fee of €42 million (£36 million/$45 million) along with additional add-ons.
Personal terms have already been agreed upon between Timber and Arsenal, and if the deal goes through, it will push Arsenal's spending in the July window to over £200 million.
At 22 years old, Timber is a versatile center-back who can also play as a right-back or defensive midfielder. This makes him similar to Arsenal's current players Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, who have both operated across the backline.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta played a significant role in the negotiations and had conversations with Timber, persuading him to reject interest from other Premier League clubs and choose Arsenal as his destination.
Timber had previously attracted interest from Manchester United last summer and was recognized by former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag as a special talent. Ten Hag had worked with Timber during their time at the Amsterdam Arena and had also signed his teammates Antony and Lisandro Martinez.
With the impending arrival of Timber, his transfer fee will place him 10th on Arsenal's all-time list of highest transfer fees paid. He will surpass the fees paid for players such as Alexis Sanchez, Shkodran Mustafi, and Granit Xhaka, but will rank just below Mesut Ozil, Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey, and Alexandre Lacazette.
Regarding player departures, there have been speculations linking Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe with potential moves away from the London club.
