Eddie Howe’s plan for Sean Steur made public as Newcastle strike £23m deal

Newcastle United have made a move to sign Dutch wonderkid Sean Steur from Ajax.

In less than 24 hours, Newcastle United have gone from making a bid for Sean Steur to the 18-year-old touching down at Newcastle Airport ahead of a £23 million move.

News broke about Newcastle's swoop for Sean Steur in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and by 8pm the young midfielder had been pictured on the tarmac at Newcastle.

With a medical booked for Wednesday, things are moving very quickly for a player who hadn't even been mentioned in the media prior to the news that a deal had been struck.

Sean Steur will go into Eddie Howe's first team

Steur has only had one season in senior football after breaking into the Ajax team last season, and though the Eredivisie side were hoping that Steur would sign a new deal until 2030, he instead opted to move to Newcastle.

Despite being just 18, Lee Ryder has claimed on X that Steur has been signed for the first team and will not be heading out on loan next season.

"It’s expected that Sean Steur will join the #nufc first-team squad with no plans for a loan but will be deemed a young player with high development potential.

"Will work with senior staff but not seen as a replacement for Sandro Tonali.

"Ross Wilson travelled to the Netherlands to negotiate the deal with a host of European clubs and Premier League sides tracking the 18-year-old."

Johan Manzambi will be the Sandro Tonali replacement

Johan Manzambi would likely be the player Newcastle will class as Tonali's replacement if they are able to get a deal done for the Swiss star.

It's now being reported, however, that Manzambi could be waiting until after the World Cup to assess his options despite claims that he was keen on a move to Tyneside.

We have been thinking that Manzambi felt almost too good to be true. We're not out of the running yet, but the nerves are starting to jangle.