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Arsenal newest man finally sets for Emirates move
Arsenal new signing Jurrien Timber is finally set for Emirates arrival going by the claim by his brother.
The Dutch international has been tipped to be the latest arrival at the north London club after his brother appeared to have confirmed his imminent transfer to Arsenal following the defender’s family farewell party for him.
National Daily gathered that the 22-year-old is on the verge of a £40million move to Arsenal – with £36m of that fee being paid up front and £4m coming in add-ons – and has already undergone a medical.
He was, however, spotted back in the Netherlands on Saturday as he attended an Ajax pre-season friendly against Den Bosch.
That had prompted some supporters to speculate if something had gone wrong with the medical, but everything appears to be just fine with Timber simply granted time to say his farewells in Amsterdam before linking up with his new Arsenal team-mates.
The defender’s brother, Shamier, posted an image on his Instagram stories on Sunday evening showing a farewell party celebrating the move.
An image of Timber in an Arsenal kit was knocked up on a giant banner surrounded by balloons, alongside a message reading: ‘Jurrien’s goodbye party! See you in the streets of London.’
Timber is expected to be officially unveiled at the start of the week, with Declan Rice’s club-record move also due to be announced imminently too.
It could be a few days before they meet many of their new team-mates, however, with the squad having flown to Germany for a short pre-season camp.
The Gunners will only stay for a few days and take on Nurnberg in their first pre-season friendly on Thursday, before then returning to the UK in order to fly out to the USA with the full contingent of international players.
It remains to be seen when Timber and Rice will link up with the Arsenal squad and they could be put through their paces with other international players – such as Bukayo Saka – in a smaller group at London Colney.
Mikel Arteta has big plans for Timber and is believed to be keen to convert the centre-half into an inverted right-back who will compete with Ben White for a starting role.
The Netherlands international is a very proficient passer of the ball and is hugely composed in possession, though there have been a few question marks raised over his aerial ability and lack of height.
The defender however has been tipped by many to succeed at the Emirates.