John Barnes says he’s hearing rumours that Virgil van Dijk is trying to persuade Jurrien Timber to join Liverpool.
Timber has been linked with a move to Anfield as he prepares to leave Ajax this summer. And speaking to Dutch outlet Soccer News, Barnes weighed in on the prospect of the 21-year-old joining his Netherlands teammate Van Dijk at Liverpool.
“Of course I know that he has played with Van Dijk in the Dutch national team and according to the latest rumours, Van Dijk has told him that he should come to Anfield,” said the 59-year-old. “He’s a good player and would be a good asset for Liverpool.”
Barnes also suggested that although Timber could pay alongside his national team captain at Anfield, he could be an option for the future, too.
“Virgil has already passed his thirties and he won’t stay at the club forever,” said the legendary former winger. “In the long run, it’s not just about coming to The Reds to form a duo with Van Dijk. Liverpool just have to look for a new defender for the future. And in that respect, Timber would obviously be a fantastic option, if we manage to capture him.”
Timber preparing for summer transfer
As Liverpool look for potential options at centre-back this summer, Timber could be the one. The youngster has already declared that he’s ready to leave Ajax and looks set to be available at a reasonable fee.
Still only twenty-one, Timber has a huge amount of experience in both domestic and European competition. As Barnes alludes to, he’s also a full Netherlands international, with 15 caps to his name.
This last point could perhaps be the crucial one. We’ve already recently seen Van Dijk employed to do his bit in convincing Cody Gakpo to join Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven.
It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that the 31-year-old could be doing the same with Timber. Certainly, if Liverpool really are interested in the defender, then they’d be silly not to get Virgil in his ear.
The only thing of slight concern with Timber should be that he isn’t exactly the biggest. He’s closer to Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez in height than he is to Van Dijk. That could be a worry for the Reds.
However, negating that is the fact that Timber can play at full-back, too. As Liverpool decide what to do with Trent Alexander-Arnold, perhaps it would be wise to look for a defender who can do both. Maybe that, and the fact that he comes with Virgil’s recommendation, will be enough to tip the balance his way.
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