The holding midfielder confirmed at the weekend that the Magpies had been successful in a bid for his services.
It now appears that the switch is nearing a conclusion, with the 23-year-old now in England for a series of medical examinations and discussions over personal terms, according to Sky Sports News.
The Dutch international joined Ajax as a trainee in 1999.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | PSV EindhovenPSV | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 21 | 21 |
| 2 | AZ AlkmaarAZ | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 16 |
| 3 | FC UtrechtUtrecht | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
| 4 | FC Twente | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 14 |
| 5 | Willem II | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| 6 | Ajax | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| 7 | Feyenoord | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 8 | Sparta RotterdamSparta | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
| 9 | Go Ahead Eagles | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 10 |
| 10 | Groningen | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 9 |
| 11 | Heracles | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 9 |
| 12 | NECNijmegen | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 7 |
| 13 | PEC Zwolle | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 7 |
| 14 | Fortuna SittardSittard | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 7 |
| 15 | Heerenveen | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 7 |
| 16 | NAC BredaNAC Breda | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 6 |
| 17 | Almere CityAlmere City | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 19 | -17 | 2 |
| 18 | RKC WaalwijkRKC Waalwijk | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 19 | -16 | 0 |
| > Eredivisie Full Table | |||||||||
