Newcastle United set to sign Ajax talent Sean Steur in surprise swoop

Steur, 18, was included in Ajax's training camp squad that departed for the Dutch town of Garderen yesterday, but had already left the camp early in the morning after Newcastle United had come knocking.

The negotiations took little time, with the first report of Newcastle's interest in Steur coming in shortly after midnight (CEST time), and a full agreement seemingly reached at 00.45, with the Magpies set to pay up to €27 million for Steur.

The move came as a surprise to many, with Steur among the very few names excluded from technical director Jordi Cruyff's summer clearout, which saw him list 21 players for sale on the TransferRoom platform.

The 18-year-old Steur, a central midfielder regarded as a top talent within the club ranks, made his senior debut for Ajax in January 2025 under Francesco Farioli and became a semi-regular starter in the first team in the 2025-26 season. Across all competitions, Steur has made 26 appearances (19 starts) for Ajax, scoring once and providing two assists.

Contract struggles

Sean Steur had a principal agreement with Ajax for a two-year extension of his contract, which was set to expire in 2028. Steur had that agreement with former technical director Alex Kroes, who left his position in February and was succeeded by Jordi Cruyff.

Steur and his father, Johan, who handles his son's business, had not reached the same agreement with Cruyff yet, with the technical director unable to give Steur any guarantees about playing time, with Jorthy Mokio - the 18-year-old Belgian midfielder and competitor of Steur in midfield - having extended his contract in April.