Manchester United and the four clubs interested in Jurrien Timber

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 16 May 2022 16:02 BST
• 4 min read

Jurrien Timber could be subject to a transfer war this summer as a series of impressive performances over the course of the season for Ajax have made him a top target for several European clubs.

The centre-half has plenty of admirable qualities, and considering his age and potential, clubs across Europe will want to pounce on the opportunity to sign him up this summer.

So what clubs are in the race to sign up the 20-year-old from the Eredivisie champions?

4) Paris Saint-Germain

The French champions are always on the hunt for the biggest talents, and Timber may be another player of interest to them, regardless of who their head coach is next season.

Timber’s excellent ball-playing abilities are an asset to any team, and PSG could form a solid partnership at the back with the Dutchman and club captain Marquinhos.

Along with that, he’ll have so much to learn from, training with experienced winners like Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Neymar and Marco Verratti.

3) Barcelona

Barcelona and Ajax have shared a great connection over the last few decades, starting with Johan Cruyff and being carried on by the likes of Louis van Gaal, Patrick Kluivert, Frank de Boer, Frenkie de Jong and more.

Jurrien Timber would be another worthy addition to that list, and Barcelona could have a fine long-term partnership with him and Ronald Araujo, with the likes of Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen to help out.

This would be the ideal place for his development too – a club that has been slowly improving over the last few months and a team that has a clear vision under Xavi.

2) Bayern Munich

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) May 16, 2022

Bayern Munich seem to have their sights set on several Ajax players this year, having already completed a deal for Noussair Mazraoui and looking likely to sign Ryan Gravenberch.

Jurrien Timber would be the biggest coup of the lot – Bayern have had issues at the back, and he would be a capable player who can help solve it.

The issue would be money, as the German champions have been reluctant to spend big, and Ajax probably would demand a big fee for one of their top academy talents.

1) Manchester United

The likeliest of all options is Manchester United, mainly due to the arrival of Erik ten Hag, who has worked with Timber throughout his career.

It was Ten Hag who gave Timber his debut, and believed that he could have a long future in the game, and if United are to improve their shoddy defensive record, then Timber would be an option worth considering.

The coach knows the player well, and has mostly be positive – that would make this the safest option and Timber would almost certainly be assured plenty of game time, should he make the move.