Arsenal have completed the signing of Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax for £34m. Timber’s fee could rise to £38.5m and the 22-year-old joins on a long-term deal. He will further bolster Arsenal’s defence after centre-back William Saliba agreed a new four-year contract.
“We’re really excited Jurrien has joined us. He is a versatile young defender,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “Jurrien is a young player but has already achieved so much. He has experienced what it’s like to go to a major international tournament on more than one occasion, as well as the trophies he has won with Ajax. We look forward to welcoming and integrating Jurrien into the squad.”
The versatile Dutch defender, who can play at centre-back or right-back, had been linked with Manchester United, while Bayern Munich were also known to be interested.
Timber has 15 caps for the Netherlands, including four at the Qatar World Cup, where he helped Louis van Gaal’s side reach the quarterfinals. He will add strength to the spine of an Arsenal team that finished runners-up to Manchester City in a closely fought Premier League title race last season and qualified for the Champions League after a six-year absence.
His signing follows that of 24-year-old Germany forward Kai Havertz from Chelsea, with West Ham midfielder Declan Rice also close to completing a club-record £105m move to Emirates Stadium.
Source: BBCSport
