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After Kim Min-Jae, Manchester United could be heading for more disappointment as Premier League rivals Arsenal have reportedly made a move for rumoured target Jurrien Timber.
David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that the Gunners have made an opening bid of £30 million for the versatile defender.
The Netherlands international has prior history with United manager Erik ten Hag, under whom he enjoyed his best football when the duo was at Ajax.
Ten Hag has reportedly been interested in Timber for a while now, with the club especially weighing up a move for him after Kim Min-Jae seems a lock for Bayern Munich.
Notably, the Ajax defender was present in the stands during the Manchester Derby in the FA Cup Final, further fuelling speculation about his future.
He has two years left on his contract and Ornstein’s report states that the Amsterdam club will ask for a fee in the region of £50 million for a deal to take place. Personal terms have also been reportedly agreed with the player.
Timber is highly sought after for his versatility- he can play as a centre-back as well as a right-back. He has leadership qualities, as Ten Hag referred to in his final interview as Ajax boss. Furthermore, having been schooled in the Cruyff style of football, he is extremely comfortable with his feet.
In a bit of added blow to United, Fabrizio Romano also confirmed that Jurrien Timber is a “concrete possibility” for Arsenal who see him as a player in the mould of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
For United, missing out on the Dutchman will be another blow in a transfer window that is seemingly headed to nowhere.
The club are locked in negotiations with Chelsea over Mason Mount and have already been priced out of a deal with Tottenham over Harry Kane.
Rasmus Hojlund of Atalanta is looking more unattainable every day as the Bergamo outfit’s asking price remains exorbitant and the club also looks set to miss out on Kim Min-Jae, a priority target.
However, optimistic fans could look at the situation and feel a sense of deja vu to another Ajax man who was close to joining Arsenal, before United eventually pipped them to a deal. Romano alluded to it as well.
Lisandro Martinez last year was in a similar place. Arsenal were pushing to get him but once United entered the picture, then with the Erik Ten Hag connection, there was only going to be one landing spot for the Argentine.
The Manchester United manager seems to rate Timber similarly highly and the fact that United still haven’t made a move for him might indicate that their priorities just lie elsewhere.
Even if Timber is a target, it could just be a case of United playing the waiting game and hijacking the deal later, in another bit of deja vu to the Tyrell Malacia situation last year.
For now, Arsenal have made the first move. The chips are still in United’s favour. It remains to be seen if they take the next step.
