Newcastle United and Aston Villa battle to sign two-time Dutch champion as £29m update emerges

Newcastle United have emerged as one of the front-runners in the race to sign four-time Netherlands international Kenneth Taylor in the January transfer window, according to reports.

CaughtOffside understands that Newcastle scouts have been monitoring the 22-year-old Ajax star since the start of the 2024/25 campaign as they continue to plot a potential swoop in the January transfer window. Taylor is a defensive midfielder that has been on the books at Ajax since he was eight years old. 

He progressed seamlessly through the highly esteemed Ajax academy and represented the Netherlands youth team at all age groups from Under-15 to Under-21 while winning the Under-17 European Championship along the way before earning his first professional contract in Amsterdam.

Taylor starred in the second division of Dutch football with Ajax’s B team for several seasons as a teen before making his first team debut for the senior squad in 2020. He made 16 appearances for Erik ten Hag’s side in this period and picked up two Eredvisie titles before establishing himself as a key part of the first team.

In the summer of 2022, shortly before his first major breakout campaign, he told the club website: “For me, the perfect picture is that I will be a starting player for Ajax next season. 

“That’s what I want most, it would be the best next step in my development. I’ll have to show it myself, under new trainer Alfred Schreuder. It’s up to me to show it and that’s what I focus on. 

“As long as I have perspective, leaving is out of the question. That is obvious. Club Brugge recently showed interest, but I want to become a basic player at Ajax. And I have a lot of confidence in that.”

Taylor was true to his word and went on to rack up 43 appearances across all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing three assists from the defensive midfield area. The following campaign, he proved just as important despite his team’s struggles on the pitch and contributed a further seven goals and six assists in 43 appearances.

Taylor has formed a steady midfield partnership with Jordan Henderson and is currently part of a team which sits third in the table with 26 points from 11 games; representing a huge improvement from where the team were at this stage last season.

However, the young midfielder whose play style has been compared to Martin Zubminedi by Caught Offside, faces an uncertain future at Ajax with Aston Villa also showing interest. The outlet explains the Dutch side are desperate to keep Taylor at the club but would cave if an offer in excess of £29m was submitted by the North East club.

Taylor is a player that Sven Botman is likely to be familiar with from his time in the Ajax academy as a youngster.