Arsenal have made a £30 million bid for Ajax’s Jurrien Timber, as per The Athletic.
The Gunners are expected to have to raise their offer, as Ajax value the centre-back in the region of £50 million.
Manchester United were heavily linked to Timber last summer but after acquiring Erik ten Hag, Lisandro Martinez and Antony from the Dutch club, the board left their swoop at that.
Arsenal were also well in the race to sign Martinez but the Argentine opted to follow his manager to Manchester, where he has since played a pivotal role in the team’s backline.
Now, Mikel Arteta and the hierarchy will test Ajax’s resolve when it comes to their other highly-rated central defender, who is just 22 years old.
United will mull over Timber pursuit
Whether or not United will feel the need to hijack their pursuit remains to be seen. It’s clear that Ten Hag favours players that he’s familiar with and has worked with, but the price may come too steep at a time when other positions across the pitch need strengthening significantly more, like a striker and a goalkeeper.
As well as that, partnering a 5’9” player with a 5’10” one seems ill-advised. Martinez’s height has not caused problems for the Reds as he’s regularly deployed alongside 6’3” Raphael Varane, but two considerably shorter defenders could prove costly.
