Arsenal have completed the signing of Netherlands international defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax, the Premier League club announced on Friday.
Timber, 22, will cost an initial €40 million ($45m) with a further €5m worth of add-ons, Ajax confirmed in a statement. The versatile defender won two Eredivisie titles in 121 appearances for Ajax and was part of the Netherlands squad that reached the quarter-finals of last year's World Cup in Qatar.
He can operate at both centre-back and right-back and will bring added depth to an Arsenal defence that struggled to cope with injuries to William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu towards the end of last season. “We’re really excited that Jurrien has joined us.
He is a versatile young defender, who will fit into our system and provide our squad with so much added quality," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “Jurrien is a young player, but has already achieved so much.