Arsenal are in "positive" talks to sign Ajax defender Jurrien Timber and he "wants to make that move", according to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth.
Who will Arsenal sign this summer?
The Gunners currently have many plates spinning behind-the-scenes as sporting director Edu looks to reinforce their midfield, sign a versatile attacker and bring in more defensive options.
Having missed out on their first league title in nearly 20 years to treble-winners Man City, Arsenal now find themselves in a fierce transfer battle with the blues to sign top target Declan Rice from West Ham.
Both sides have had bids rejected for the England international recently and it will be very interesting to see where he ends up – in Manchester or across London.
Meanwhile, in some better news, Arsenal have sealed the signing of Chelsea forward Kai Havertz in a £65 million deal, with Southampton's Romeo Lavia and Timber from Ajax at the centre of negotiations too.
The latter player has been described as a versatile, inverted full-back option, similar to Oleksandr Zinchenko, and is currently renowed for his composure/passing range (The Telegraph).
Mikel Arteta's side have been attempting to sign Timber over the last fortnight, again seeing bids rejected for the defender in a similar vain to Rice.
However, speaking on Sky Sports, reliable journalist Sheth has dropped a positive update on their pursuit of the 22-year-old.
Sheth believes talks are "positive" between Ajax and Arsenal with Timber firmly setting his sights on a move to the Emirates.
"There is another player that they're interested in as well, and that is the Ajax defender Jurrien Timber," said the Sky reporter during broadcast.
"We are told that talks are ongoing between both clubs, we're told talks are positive as well, personal terms not expected to be a problem.
"And in this case, rather like Declan Rice as well, the understanding is that Timber wants to make that move to Arsenal.
"He's got two years left on his contract, I think, so it's the optimum time for Ajax to maximise that transfer fee."
What's been said about Jurrien Timber?
The Netherlands international was an undroppable for Ajax last season, featuring over more Eredivisie minutes than any other player in their squad over 2022/2023 (WhoScored).
Former Spurs star Rafael van der Vaart has also heaped praise on Timber's athleticism, explaining how he is "so quick" and "sharp" when called upon.
"Timber is so quick, light feet, always sharp, never panicking on the ball. Almost like a great midfielder in defence,” Van der Vaart said (via the MEN).
All the indications are that he could be an exceptional signing for Arteta.