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 | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 9 | 36 | 36 |
| 2 | FC UtrechtUtrecht | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 31 |
| 3 | Ajax | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 11 | 16 | 29 |
| 4 | Feyenoord | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 13 | 18 | 28 |
| 5 | FC Twente | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 26 | 12 | 14 | 25 |
| 6 | AZ AlkmaarAZ | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 20 |
| 7 | Go Ahead Eagles | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 20 | -2 | 18 |
| 8 | Fortuna SittardSittard | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 18 | -4 | 17 |
| 9 | NECNijmegen | 13 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 16 |
| 10 | Willem II | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 16 |
| 11 | NAC BredaNAC Breda | 13 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 23 | -9 | 16 |
| 12 | Heerenveen | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 26 | -13 | 14 |
| 13 | Heracles | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 25 | -11 | 13 |
| 14 | PEC Zwolle | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 | -10 | 12 |
| 15 | Groningen | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 24 | -12 | 12 |
| 16 | Sparta RotterdamSparta | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 20 | -7 | 11 |
| 17 | Almere CityAlmere City | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 30 | -24 | 6 |
| 18 | RKC WaalwijkRKC Waalwijk | 13 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 33 | -21 | 5 |
| > Eredivisie Full Table | |||||||||
