Manchester United could pursue Ajax defender Jurrien Timber this summer as Erik Ten Hag looks to solidify his backline ahead of 2023/24, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What's the latest transfer news involving Jurrien Timber?
As per talkSPORT, Timber was spotted at Wembley Stadium earlier this month when Manchester United took on Manchester City in the FA Cup Final, which eventually resulted in a 2-1 victory for the latter.
According to Florian Plettenberg via The Mirror, Ajax are open to selling Timber this summer and would seek to recoup around £44 million for the £49k-a-week ace, who rejected the chance to join Manchester United last year despite efforts from Ten Hag to try and entice Timber to Old Trafford.
Timber, who has been hailed as "crazy", has recently commented on speculation linking him with a move away from Ajax, as per Algemeen Dagblad via METRO, stating: "I assume that next season will be better. With or without me, Ajax usually gets it back on track. I understand the guys who think: if a top club comes, I will go. It is also difficult to say no. Only, I don’t have that at all. In my case everything is still open. Quite a lot is happening in the background in terms of interest. I will soon see what the concrete options are."
The Guardian claim that Napoli defender Kim Min-jae is also a target for the Red Devils in the off-season, while club captain Harry Maguire could be allowed to leave Old Trafford in a potential defensive reshuffle.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Jones thinks that Timber may come to the fore as a target for Manchester United at some point in the summer.
Jones told FFC: "Manchester United have looked again towards the Eredivisie for options and Jurrien Timber might yet be one that emerges from there. I think Kim Min-jae is the one that people are most interested in. It's all about that small window in July when he's available for a good price that is going to ultimately define whether or not that happens."
Would Jurrien Timber be a good signing for Manchester United?
Timber, who "runs the show at the back", is an excellent prospect that has already gained plenty of first-team experience at Ajax and would be a signing that could benefit Manchester United for years to come.
During 2022/23, the 21-year-old made 47 appearances across all competitions for Ajax, registering two goals and two assists, as per Transfermarkt.
As per FBRef, Timber has also stood out in the art of progressive carries compared to his positional peers across Europe's next eight leagues behind the top five divisions on the continent, recording an average of 2.38 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the first percentile.
In the Eredivisie, Timber has shown natural defensive instincts to nicely complement his penchant to carry the ball into midfield, successfully making 1.9 clearances and 1.4 challenges per fixture, as per WhoScored.
Moving forward, Manchester United should do everything in their power to bring Timber to Old Trafford due to his potential to develop into a world-class star.
