21-year-old Liverpool target confirms desire to leave Eredivisie club

Liverpool target Jurrien Timber reveals a transfer is in place to leave Ajax in the summer

Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, who is a Liverpool target, has revealed that there is a transfer in place to exit the Dutch club this summer.

Liverpool Echo reveals that the Netherlands international is valued at around £50m, and is linked to a number of Premier League clubs.

Timber is a highly-talented defender who can play both as a centre-back and a right-back. He is comfortable operating in different systems and would naturally have a good understanding with Virgil van Dijk, given they are national team-mates and played a World Cup together recently.

Here’s what the 21-year-old said when asked about his future (h/t De Telegraaf, via Liverpool Echo):

“A transfer is getting closer and closer, so to speak. There is a lot of concrete interest and I have made agreements with Ajax.

“At the Dutch national team, I often talk to boys who play football abroad. I want to take that step someday. But when that is, you will eventually hear and it will happen in consultation with Ajax.”

Well, if he is consulting his Dutch teammates, two of them are at Liverpool – Cody Gakpo and van Dijk. It won’t be a surprise if the Reds duo influence him to join the club this summer.

Having seen Jurgen Klopp tweak his system to accommodate Trent Alexander-Arnold when the team is in possession, the right-sided centre-back has an extra responsibility to cover his side if the team loses the ball and Trent is caught in midfield.

For now, we have Ibrahima Konate doing that job well because he has the pace and physical strength to cope with most wide attackers on the continent.

But, we cannot trust his backup options Joe Gomez and Joel Matip because they lack some of the attributes the Frenchman possesses.

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To an extent, Timber matches up with what Klopp may require from a defender playing in this new system. The Dutchman has played as a wide centre-back in a three and a right-back. So, he would know the Konate role as well as any. If we are getting him, it would be a fantastic piece of business.