Tottenham, Newcastle, Aston Villa chasing Ajax midfield sensation already scouted by both Man Utd, Man City
Ajax star Kenneth Taylor is a target for a number of Premier League clubs
TEAMtalk can reveal a host of Premier League clubs are keeping close tabs on a highly-rated Ajax midfielder ahead of the opening of the January transfer window.
Classy 21-year-old Kenneth Taylor is the player in question, with Ajax said to be considering offloading one of their top talents in 2024 after a disastrous campaign so far.
The Netherlands international has come through the youth ranks of the Amsterdam giants and is now an important member of the first-team squad.
TT can reveal that while Taylor would be reluctant to leave in January with his club struggling, the summer could be a different story.
Manchester City and Manchester United have previously looked at Taylor, but now TT has been told that Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Brighton have all taken an interest in the highly-rated player.
The defensive midfielder made his Eredivisie debut for Ajax in December 2020 and scored his first league goal against Heracles in February 2022.
Overall he has made 144 senior appearances, scoring 27 goals in that time and winning two Eredivisie titles.
Taylor has also been capped four times by the Netherlands, making his debut in 2022 in a Nations League match against Poland.
In terms of his playing style, Taylor has been likened to Real Madrid and Germany star Toni Kroos in that he is mainly defensive but can also operate in a box-to-box role.
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Indeed, just last year, when Manchester United and Liverpool were said to be showing an interest in the player, former Ajax manager Aad de Mos spoke in glowing terms about Taylor’s qualities.
Speaking to Voetbal Nieuws (via Soccer News), De Mos backed Taylor to become one of the Netherlands’ brightest stars, saying: “He is already one of the best players on the field at Ajax. He will stay for another year after this, then it will be Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester United.
“If there are two buses parked in front of him, he knows how to make the right choices towards the strikers or players in his area. And he is two-footed.
“If the team is compact, you don’t have to be afraid. He has an iron will to defend and has a good head. A very talented player.”
Kenneth Taylor had assisted the second goal. He scored the fifth goal himselfpic.twitter.com/v3AetgQoMd
— FootColic ⚽️ (@FootColic) November 25, 2023
Judging but those comments, it sounds like Taylor could be a perfect fit for the Premier League, but it just remains to be seen whether that will happen in January or next summer.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has already indicated that he is ready to dip into the market for another midfielder in January due to injuries and international call-ups that will decimate his squad.
Newcastle’s squad has also been stretched this season due to their involvement in the Champions League, with Eddie Howe keen to add one or two new faces at the turn of the year.
As for Villa’s interest, that probably stems from continued rumours of a move to Arsenal for midfield pivot Douglas Luiz.