Sources: Jurrien Timber to open Arsenal talks
Jurrien Timber is set to advance in contract talks with Arsenal as he approaches the final 18 months of his deal, sources have told Football Insider.
The 25-year-old is yet to sign fresh terms at the Emirates, with his current deal set to expire in June 2028.
His recent injury woes have put talks on hold, but Arsenal are confident that he is deserving of a new deal.
Timber is managing his minutes as it stands after returning to action last month following a groin injury that ruled him out of the World Cup.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, agreeing a new deal with the Dutch international is on the agenda for Arsenal as they close in on penning fresh terms with Declan Rice.
Rice is also out of contract in June 2028 and is set to sign a new long-term deal, while Mikel Arteta recently finalised a deal until 2030.
Jurrien Timber new contract talks will progress soon
Timber has made 97 appearances for Arsenal since joining in 2023, with 44 of those coming last season as he was key to their PL success.
The 25-year-old is keen to stay in North London, but must continue to prove his fitness to Arteta with contract talks on the horizon.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "Off the back of sorting out the future of Mikel Arteta, I'm sure the next plan will be to secure the futures of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber.
"They are holding talks over new contracts and Arsenal will be just using Arteta as the latest stage in the project to keep hold of their best players."
Arteta has said that he wants Timber to stay at Arsenal long-term
Timber remains Arteta's first-choice right-back, when fit, but injury concerns have seen him start just once so far this season.
It is clear that he is highly rated by his manager, who admitted last year that he wants to see Timber retained beyond his current terms.
After being asked if he felt Timber was deserving of a new deal in October 2025, Arteta said: "Yes, 100 per cent. And especially the players that they want to be with us, and we want to attach our futures with them.
“Jurrien is a really good example of someone that, especially under very difficult circumstances with a very early injury in his career, with a really difficult injury, the way he’s come back and what he’s doing for the team, it's phenomenal. I think he’s a really good example of another one that hopefully is going to have a long career with us.
“I rate him a lot. I don’t know how people rate him, but hopefully a lot because when you’re talking about a total player, he has almost every quality that you want from a defender.”