Ajax agree €27M deal to sell Sean Steur to Newcastle
Ajax are close to completing the sale of 18-year-old Ajax midfielder Sean Steur for a total package worth €27 million (£23 million). Steur has already left Ajax’s training camp in Garderen and is traveling to Tyneside to undergo his medical, De Telegraaf reports. Steur has agreed to personal terms on a long-term five-year contract running until June 2031.
The agreement in principle between Newcastle and Ajax consists of a €24 million (£20.5 million) fee paid upfront. And another €3 million (£2.5 million) in "easily achievable" performance bonuses. Ajax has secured a 12.5% sell-on percentage on any future transfer profit made by Newcastle.
The deal progressed at lightning speed due to a combination of squad overhauls and a breakdown in contract talks. Newcastle generated significant financial flexibility after Sandro Tonali completed a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth up to £100 million. Magpies manager Eddie Howe prioritized spending a portion of those funds on an immediate, long-term midfield replacement.
Steur had a verbal agreement in principle to extend his stay in Amsterdam until 2030 under former technical director Alex Kroes. However, after Jordi Cruijff took over as Ajax's technical director, Steur's camp sought playing time guarantees that Cruijff could not promise. This stalled negotiations, leaving Ajax vulnerable as his existing contract only ran until 2028.
Following several seasons of financial mismanagement, Ajax required a large cash injection to rebuild their own squad under Míchel, making Newcastle’s multi-million euro offer impossible to refuse.
Widely praised by academy insiders as Ajax’s brightest homegrown midfield prospect since Frenkie de Jong, Steur had an explosive 2025–26 breakthrough season, making 25 senior appearances.
According to advanced BBC Sport / Opta data, among all Eredivisie midfielders who started last season aged 18 or younger, Steur ranked 1st for chances created (15), 1st for total ball carries (231), 1st for duel success rate (56.8%), 2nd for passing accuracy (89.7%).
The 6-foot-tall, two-footed player acts as a highly press-resistant central midfielder capable of playing both as a deep-lying playmaker and a box-to-box asset.
At St James' Park, he is expected to initially compete with 20-year-old Lewis Miley for a spot in the starting 1 while adjusting to the physical demands of English football.
