Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle United, and Aston Villa are closely monitoring Belgian defensive sensation Matte Smets ahead of a potential transfer.
Matte Smets’s impressive performances in the Belgian top flight have put him on the radar of multiple clubs from across Europe. According to a report from Graeme Bailey on TBR Football, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle United, and Aston Villa are all keen on his signature and have scouted the young defender ahead of a potential move.
The 20-year-old was a part of the KRC Genk youth setup back in the day, but he parted ways with the club to join Sint-Truiden back in 2018. After coming up the ranks and making a name for himself while playing for the first team, he secured a return to Genk in a deal worth £2 million last summer.
While it has only been around six months since his return to childhood club, Smets has already made quite a name for himself. He is a regular feature in their first team having started 14 out of their 16 league games, and his consistent performances are one of the reasons why they sit at the top of Jupiler Pro League.
Premier League clubs could battle it out for Smets
Smets’s impressive rise has helped him break into the Belgian national team, and it has also resulted in a significant amount of interest from across Europe. Chelsea and Tottenham are two English clubs who are quite keen on having him in their ranks.
Both Spurs and Chelsea have focused on bringing in young players in the recent past. Ange Postecoglou’s arrival has led to a massive change in transfer policy at Tottenham, while the Blues have been looking to sign the best young players since the change in ownership.
They are both interested in the Belgian centre-back who has been likened to PSG skipper Marquinhos. His composure, anticipation, tackling, positioning and passing suggest he has the potential to be as good as the Brazilian international.
Both Chelsea and Tottenham have sent scouts to watch Smets in action in recent past, and they are not the only English clubs who have taken notice of his talent following an impressive start to the new season. Newcastle United and Aston Villa have also been monitoring him for some time now.
The Magpies lack depth at the back while Villa have been considering moving on from Diego Carlos and bringing in a younger alternative. Scouts that have watched the 20-year-old in action have not been disappointed and given the kind of progress he has made over the last 12 months, there could be a bidding war for him in the near future.