Arsenal enter 'final stages' of £40m transfer - Romano

James Shearman

• Updated: 29 Jun 2023 21:40 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal have entered into the 'final stages' of negotiations with Ajax over defender Jurrien Timber, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Gunners made a €45 million bid on Monday, which is expected to be accepted in due course.

The two clubs are said to be ironing out the details of the transfer, which could be made official in the coming days.

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Timber will join Kai Havertz and Declan Rice at the Emirates Stadium, as Mikel Arteta's side aim to go one better in the Premier League next season.

The north London club led the league table for large parts last season before falling short to Manchester City in the closing stages.

Do Arsenal need Timber?

Timber's acquisition makes sense for a number of reasons, with squad depth perhaps the biggest.

Last year, the Gunners failed to capitalise on an excellent opportunity to win the Europa League, largely due to the lack of rotation options in key positions.

At left-back, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko give the Gunners enough depth to compete on multiple fronts.

However, at right-back, the same can't be said for Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

The former's long-term future is likely to be at centre-back, while the latter's injury history is a huge concern.

So, the signing of Timber would provide much-needed depth at the position.

The Dutchman, like White, can also play at the heart of the defence, in the potential absence of Gabriel or William Saliba.