Newcastle United are joining the race to sign Ajax teenager Jorthy Mokio amid interest from Manchester United.
Recent speculation suggests that Newcastle United are looking to bring in talented youngsters for the future.
Newcastle are keen on Kees Smit, and could rival Barcelona and Real Madrid in the race for the AZ sensation.
Club Brugge’s Aleksandar Stankovic has been linked with Newcastle, while Red Bull Salzburg’s Kerim Alajbegovic is another target.
Newcastle want to bring in top prospects, and are now ready to battle Manchester United for another one.
Which position should Newcastle United look to strengthen in January?
Newcastle United join race to sign Ajax’s Jorthy Mokio
Sky Sports reporter Sacha Tavolieri now claims that Newcastle are interested in snapping up Ajax talent Jorthy Mokio.
The 17-year-old has made eight Eredivisie appearances this season, playing as a holding midfielder or left-back.
Mokio joined Ajax from Belgian side Gent in 2024, snubbing Barcelona for a move to Amsterdam.
Belgian reporter Axel Brisart told Ajax Showtime that Mokio was considered as a ‘phenomenon’ at Gent, with a ‘top’ future predicted for him.
“At Gent, he was known as a phenomenon,” said Brisart. “Everyone I’ve spoken to about Mokio says he has the potential to be a top player.
“They quickly saw that he has unique qualities. His footballing ability is his greatest asset. He has a passing game with a lot of guts and flair. At 15, he was already playing for Gent’s U18s. He’s not the biggest defender and still needs to improve physically, but he’s fantastic on the ball. He always stood out as a player,” he added.
The teenager earned his first senior cap for Belgium earlier in 2025 and is considered to be one of Ajax’s top talents.
Newcastle are now interested in signing Mokio, believing that he fits the mould of a young, talented prospect for the future.
Ajax want to extend Mokio’s contract, but the teenager is allegedly unsure about committing his future to the club.
Manchester United are ‘one of the most interested’ clubs, believing that he is the perfect addition to their project.
Mokio still has more than 18 months left on his Ajax contract, but his future is now unclear ahead of the January transfer window.
Jorthy Mokio made surprise contract demands at Ajax
Ajax will hope to fend off the likes of Newcastle and Manchester United, but reports in the Netherlands suggest Mokio is seeking a huge deal.
Voetbal International reported in October that Mokio wants a similar contract to the one Jordan Henderson signed at Ajax.
The Liverpool Echo suggest that Henderson earned around £3.4million-a-year at Ajax, which comes out to around £65,000-a-week.
That would be a huge deal for Ajax to strike, especially given Mokpo’s inexperience at this stage in his career.
Perhaps those reports are wide of the mark, but it’s difficult to imagine Newcastle swooping in to pay that kind of money to a 17-year-old any time soon.
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