Sean Steur 'more than ready' - Eredivisie expert on Newcastle-bound Ajax star

Newcastle United are working on the signing of Dutch midfielder Sean Steur after a surprise bid was reported on Tuesday morning.

The news that Newcastle had agreed a £23m deal with Ajax for the 18-year-old broke in the early hours of Tuesday morning and by the time Geordies were waking up to the news, things were already in place for his medical.

Steur landed in Newcastle on Tuesday evening ahead of a medical on Wednesday. It shouldn't be too long before the signing is confirmed by the club.

The move came out of nowhere, with Steur's name never even mentioned in the media before the deal was reported as being done.

Dutch football expert says Sean Steur is ready for high-level football

The Chronicle reached out to Dutch football expert Michael Bell, editor of Football Oranje, who also happens to be a Newcastle United fan, and they asked Bell what Newcastle fans can expect from Steur and whether his rise to prominence was a surprise.

"He is a technically brilliant midfielder, who can play deeper or in the eight. He is comfortable receiving the ball in tight spaces and can progress it through dribbling forward.

"He has a real eye for a pass but also does well in the defensive area in duels. At six ft he is no slouch and he can be a tempo controller if given plenty of the ball.

"As with most talents in the Netherlands, they are known and have a name at a very young age and Steur has been tipped to make a breakthrough for years.

"Ajax had a disappointing campaign last year and Steur got probably more minutes than he was expecting but he showed he is more than ready for the level. He is even being mentioned as one of the next players that is capable of reaching the national team before the next World Cup.

"I think he was seen as the main man in the Ajax midfield for the next few years so think his departure has been met with sadness in Amsterdam but also some expected it due to his contract situation."

It sounds like Newcastle have found a real baller

Bell also went on to compare Steur with former Toon target Kees Smit, and while Bell admitted that Smit is probably further on in his development (he is two years older than Steur), he does say that the two are very different types of players, so it's not a like-for-like comparison.

It seems that Michael Bell was very enthusiastic about Steur, and while it would be mad to expect too much from the teenager right away, it does seem as though Newcastle are getting a phenomenal young player with an extremely high ceiling.

We're just waiting for the official confirmation of his signing now.