Manchester United are eyeing defensive reinforcements in the summer transfer window but Liverpool could beat them by signing Dutch international Jurrien Timber

Liverpool appear to be Manchester United on the rise – beating Erik ten Hag’s side to sign Dutch international Jurrien Timber in the summer transfer window.

Timber, 21, is expected to leave Ajax this summer as he attracts interest from Premier League clubs. The defender is enjoying another impressive season despite the Dutch giants’ failure to defend the Eredivisie title which went to Feyenoord.

United are reportedly among the main transfer candidates given they are considering signing a new centre-back and Harry Maguire’s future is uncertain, while Eric Bailly is set to leave the club after being loaned to Marseille.

The club are open to selling Maguire as the 30-year-old has dropped in the table, although he remains a regular in the England national team. Ten Hag recently preferred left-back Luke Shaw to Maguire at centre-back due to injuries to Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

Timber, who made 15 appearances for the Netherlands, turned down the chance to follow former Ajax manager Ten Hag to Old Trafford when his compatriot was appointed Red Devils manager last year. United had failed to qualify for the Champions League and Timber was willing to commit to another season at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

It is likely to be another goal for United, who are closely following Bayer Leverkusen’s Dutch under-21 international Jeremie Frimpong. But former Dutch stars Wesley Sneijder and Andy van der Meyde believe Timber is destined to go to Liverpool instead. Would Timber be better off signing for Liverpool or Man Utd? Share your opinion in the comments

They believe Ajax may need to sell players after a disappointing season, with Mexican midfielder Edson Alvarez and Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus also set to leave.

Sneijder said (via Sport Witness): “There could be eight or nine players that Ajax will have to say goodbye to. But you also need to fill them with quality if you want to come back very quickly.”

Van der Meyde adds: “I think they will do it differently with young people. Alvarez leaves for forty million, Kudus for thirty and Timber will probably go to Liverpool. They also pay crazy money. Then you can start building again.

Liverpool, like United, are preparing for a rebuild this summer with several members of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad set to leave the club. Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will all bid farewell to Anfield.

As well as bringing in reinforcements in midfield, it is believed that Klopp also wants to sign a new central defender to compete with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate with concerns over the inconsistent form of Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

That could lead Liverpool to Timber, who has been linked with the Reds and already confirmed that a move away from Ajax is forthcoming. “A transfer is getting closer and closer, so to speak,” he told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf in April.

“There is a lot of concrete interest and I have made agreements with Ajax. Last year Ajax asked me to stay for at least one more season and to extend my contract. As a club boy, I did that with love and after the season we will review the situation.

“At the Dutch national team, I often talk to boys who play football abroad. want to take that step someday.”

Ajax are thought to be keen to hold onto Timber if possible but have placed a price tag of around £44million on the defender.

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Liverpool confirm four high-profile exits as Reds legends depart Anfield

James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – all winners of both the Champions League and Premier League at Anfield – will leave the club when their contracts expire

Liverpool have confirmed that James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of the season.

The foursome, who were all with the club when the Reds won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup, are leaving on a free transfer ahead of a busy summer transfer window at Merseyside. Together they played 965 games for Liverpool.

Milner and Firmino were the longer-serving of the pairing, both having joined the Reds in the summer of 2015 when Brendan Rodgers was still in charge.

Milner, 37, a former Leeds, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Manchester City midfielder, was Liverpool’s vice-captain under Jurgen Klopp and made 330 appearances for the Reds in various roles.

The veteran was seen as the epitome of professionalism during his time on Merseyside and is credited with helping to set the standards which saw the Reds win the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League a year later.

Jordan Henderson sends warning to Liverpool after three players confirm departure

Firmino, who joined Hoffenheim in 2015, found his feet after Klopp was appointed as Rodgers’ successor and quickly became a key player for the Reds boss, using him in a bad role as a number 9 for implement his pressing game.

The striker, who is the most successful Brazilian in Premier League history, scored 109 goals in 360 appearances for the Reds and formed an impressive trio with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah when the two joined the club in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

As well as scoring key goals on the road to Champions League and Premier League success, Firmino also scored in the semi-finals and finals of the Club World Cup as the Reds lifted the trophy for the first time. in December 2019.

Keita signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2017 on a pre-contractual agreement, then moved on to RB Leipzig a year later for a fee of £52.75m.

The Guinean midfielder arrived with a big reputation and was seen by many as the replacement for Philippe Coutinho, who joined Barcelona in January 2018 for £142m.

The 28-year-old had his impressive moments in a Liverpool shirt, but was frequently injured and is currently sidelined with 11 goals in 129 appearances for the Reds in his five seasons at the club.

Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Liverpool from Arsenal in the summer of 2017 and first impressed when he played a key role in Klopp’s side in the 2017/18 season as they reached the League final champions.

However, a serious knee injury in the semi-final win over Roma ruined his progress and saw him miss almost the entirety of the following campaign.

He did return to feature 30 times in the Premier League when the Reds won the division in 2019-20 but has largely been on the fringes of the side due to injury and lack of selection ever since. Oxlade-Chamberlain has played 146 times for Liverpool, scoring 18 goals.

The departures of all four players, particularly the midfielders, is set to herald a key summer of transfer activity for Klopp and Liverpool as they bid to return to the summit of the game at home and in Europe.