13 July 2023 , 13:35
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Arsenal could finally announce the signing of defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax this week after agreeing terms on a £45m move.
Mirror Football understands the Dutch international has agreed a five-year deal with the Gunners, with Ajax set to bank around £40m up front plus an additional £5m in add-ons. That will make Timber the second most expensive defender in Arsenal's history, having spent £50m to sign Ben White from Brighton in 2021.
Timber's brother shared an image on Instagram last week of an apparent goodbye party that had been thrown for the defender ahead of his move. And the 22-year-old could be announced as soon as Friday, report football.london.
The report states that Arsenal originally wanted Timber to be out in Germany with the rest of the squad right now after they flew to Herzogenaurach to begin their pre-season preparation.
However, a minor contract issue is said to have delayed the official announcement of the transfer meaning Timber is yet to join up with Mikel Arteta and co. He is said to have already carried out his in-house media duties, however, and Arsenal are optimistic the deal could be announced in the next couple of days.
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As a result, Timber will miss their pre-season friendly against FC Nürnberg, but could feature in their clash against the MLS All-Stars next week in Washington. Arsenal are also yet to confirm the signing of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, who is poised to make a record-breaking £105m move to the Emirates.
Rice would become the most expensive British player of all time and Arsenal's record signing. And even Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has admitted he and his teammates are unsure when Rice and Timber will officially join.
Jurrien Timber could officially be unveiled as an Arsenal player tomorrow (Getty Images)When asked by a Gunners fan on social media app The Residency "when are Rice and Timber joining?" the Italian responded "Good question. No idea," along with three laughing emojis.
In fact, the only signing that has been officially confirmed so far is Kai Havertz's move from Chelsea. "It's super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family," Havertz said after joining.
"This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things. The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently.
"The aim is to win trophies and I'm going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I'm now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season."