Fabrizio Romano: Man Utd hold talks to sign 'top' star who 'dominates' on the ball with De Jong

Manchester United have held internal talks over a move for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Red Devils are still yet to make a marquee signing under Erik ten Hag, despite being linked with a number of high-profile players. Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is still the ‘priority’ target, with well-placed sources believing that a move will eventually go through.

Another Dutch star who Ten Hag knows well is Timber, who has been labelled as a ‘top talent’ by the official UEFA Champions League Twitter channel, and it looks as if the 21-year-old is also of interest to United.

When asked by GiveMeSport about any other deals that United are considering alongside De Jong, Romano said that the club have held ‘conversations’ regarding Timber but are yet to make an ‘official bid’.

The Italian outlined:

“These are possibilities that Manchester United are exploring. So for example, for Jurrien Timber they have had some conversations but there is still no official bid to Ajax.”

Timber is primarily a centre-back who can also line out at right-back, and he has been described by Ronald de Boer as a player who ‘dominates’ on the ball.

He was a regular last season in a solid Ajax backline which conceded just 19 times in 34 Eredivisie games and he even contributed to five goals. Therefore, he could come in and provide Ten Hag with a solid long-term option in an area where United struggled massively last season – Brentford and even relegated Burnley conceded fewer goals than the Red Devils’ 57.

United chiefs appear to be busy at this moment in time looking to reach an agreement with Barcelona for De Jong, but after that, they may well turn their attention to Timber.

In other news: ‘Really huge’ – Fabrizio