Ajax have accepted a bid of around €8million from Newcastle for midfielder Vurnon Anita, the player has revealed.
Newcastle have been chasing the player all summer but have thus far been unsuccessful in their attempts to sign the 23-year-old, with the Amsterdam giants desperate to hold onto him.
However, after his side’s 2-2 draw with AZ in their opening Eredivisie match of the season, the Netherlands international revealed that the two clubs have reached an agreement that will see the player move to the Premier League side, but insists he has not agreed terms with Newcastle yet.
The initial fee is estimated to be €8 million, but it could rise to as much as €10 million.
“The clubs have agreed a fee, but I have not,” the midfielder told Eredivisie Live. “I’m still an Ajax player. I think it will be finished soon, but you never know how it will go.”
“I have played for Ajax for 13 years, it has been a great time and I am grateful to Ajax,” he added.
Ajax coach Frank de Boer made no attempts to hide his disappointment in the sale of one of his key players.
“The clubs are almost finished with the deal,” De Boer said. “Of course I believe that is very bad. Vurnon is a really important player for us. The season has just started, but there are some things you can’t do anything about.”
Anita joined Ajax in 1999 and made his Eredivisie debut in 2005, and has represented the Amsterdam side in over 100 league matches.