AFC Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Sean Steur and AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit
AFC Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Sean Steur and AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit(Image: EYE4images/NurPhoto)
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Newcastle United are on the brink of signing Ajax teenager Sean Steur as their search for a midfield replacement for Sandro Tonali has taken them to Amsterdam.
A £23million deal has been struck to bring the 18-year-old to Tyneside after he burst on to the scene in the Dutch capital last season, establishing himself as a regular in Ajax's midfield.
Steur is a Dutch youth international and has been described as being able to play as a number six or a number eight with insiders in Ajax's academy believing he is their biggest academy prospect since Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong.
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Indeed, several top clubs are said to see him as a better option than AZ midfielder Kees Smit, who Newcastle are long term admirers of. Smit, 20, has been priced at around £60million and has been linked with a move for Real Madrid.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have all been linked with Steur over the last year, with the Magpies getting the jump on the Reds after they hijacked their move for Victor Munoz last month, while Eintracht Frankfurt made a serious play to sign him back in January.
But Newcastle look to have won the race, with sporting director Ross Wilson set to secure another top young talent from abroad this summer after the arrivals of 20-year-old winger Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim and 20-year-old goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen as they continue their hunt for new signings.
Steur was given his Ajax debut in the 2024/25 season by Francesco Farioli but started the 2025/26 campaign with the Jong Ajax set-up.
When Johnny Heitinga was sacked as Ajax manager in November, Fred Grim handed Steur his opportunity and he remained a mainstay in the side even when Steur was then replaced by former Brighton manager Oscar Garcia.
Steur - a two-footed playmaker standing 6ft tall - has made 26 appearances for Ajax's first team all told, scoring one goal and registering two assists, including three appearances in last season's Champions League.
It may seem like a big step for a player so inexperienced but all of the data and the references that come with Steur make for such pleasant reading that the Magpies may well have pulled off one of the coups of the summer transfer window.
Ajax's director of football, Marijn Beuker, has previously said: "He is a great talent and has been promoted early for a reason over the past few years. Sean is a dynamic midfielder who can dribble well and always looks for solutions going forward. We have a lot of confidence in a bright future for him at our club."
Interestingly, using stats website DataMB, Steur ranks in the 95th percentile for progressive carries and the 94th percentile for successful forward passes across Europe's top seven leagues last season.
Using their player similarity generator, his profile interestingly compares to Smit - suggesting Newcastle have a clear profile in mind for the type of midfielder they want to recruit - but also Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch, Man City's Mateo Kovacic and Juventus' Khephren Thuram.
Steur is expected to go straight into Newcastle's first team squad where he will compete for a place in midfield with Bruno Guimaraes, Lewis Miley, Joelinton, Jacob Ramsey and Joe Willock.