teamtalk.com

Wilcox prepares Man Utd bid for Dutch midfield gem described as ‘total footballer’

Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox is ready to make his move for AZ Alkmaar teenage midfielder Kees Smit in an effort to beat Real Madrid to his signature, and with the player regarded as the standout young talent in the Eredivisie this season.

The Red Devils basically need to reconstruct large chunks of their squad to catapult themselves back into the upper echelons of English football after a desperate campaign last time out resulted in a massively underwhelming 15th-place finish in the Premier League. Knowing a repeat will be simply unacceptable, Manchester United have tried to attack the summer market with real intent.

For all their efforts, though, United only have the big-money signing of Matheus Cunha to show so far and with attempts at signing Bryan Mbeumo continuing to drag on and after the club missed their own self-imposed deadline at trying to secure his signing from Brentford.

READ MORE ➡️ Man Utd MISS Bryan Mbeumo deadline as Tottenham explode back into race – report

While the delay in getting a deal for Mbeumo done suggests they could look to pursue other targets instead, one area the club have excelled in during the INEOS era is in signing a number of the game’s top young talents, who are strongly tipped to become the stars of tomorrow.

The latest of those arrived at the weekend in the form of Paraguayan teenager Diego Leon, albeit for a fee ultimately bigger than initially expected.

And with top teenage talents Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro and Chido Martin all signing up over the last year, Wilcox is seemingly now ready to go all out for promising AZ midfield talent Smit in an effort to land one of the Netherlands’ top talents.

The 19-year-old, fresh from helping his country win the Under-19s European Championships, has just enjoyed his breakthrough season with AZ Alkmaar, whom he played 30 times for this season, scoring twice.

Already described as a ‘total footballer’ by Voetbal Primeur, he boasts brilliant technical ability in the midfield, having drawn comparisons to current United star Bruno Fernandes and Tottenham’s James Maddison.

DON’T MISS 🔴⚫ Man Utd announce second summer signing in surprise Saturday update

Man Utd ready to make Kees Smith approach

Now, according to TBR Football, United have been tracking his progress and are now reportedly ready to launch a firm move for his services this summer.

Indeed, with competition for his services understood to be tough, Wilcox knows he will have to act fast to get a deal over the line, with competition heating up for Smit’s signature.

To that end, Real Madrid and Chelsea have also been credited with an interest, though the strongest competition is likely to come from Tottenham Hotspur, with their technical director Johan Lange tracking the midfielder for much of the season and having recommended him as a signing to new boss Thomas Frank.

From the player’s point of view, TBR reports that Smit is not agitating to leave AZ, who finished fifth last season, given that he has been satisfied by his opportunities playing under their coach Maarten Martens.

To that end, any club who do make a firm move for the midfielder will seemingly need to convince him of his first-team opportunities with the player, understandably, keen to ensure his rapid progress is not stunted.

The report also fails to mention what sort of fee it would take to convince AZ to sell, though they would unlikely be able to resist any sort of hefty bid that comes their way from one of the Premier League’s big hitters.

Man Utd transfer latest: Brazilian wanted as Onana upgrade;

Meanwhile, United are ready to snap up their second Brazilian star of the summer window, with a fresh report suggesting they are ready to launch a ‘formal bid’ to sign a Botafogo star who has dazzled at the Club World Cup and can finally provide Ruben Amorim with a much-needed Andre Onana upgrade.

Elsewhere, United are being pressed for a final decision on sending Jadon Sancho to Juventus, with their asking price being confirmed but the chances of a swap deal now also being talked up.

And finally, a new striker pursuit at Old Trafford has taken twist amid new claimsAmorim has given the green light to sign a free agent who could ultimately only prove to be fourth choice and as a reaction to their impending disappointment in the Viktor Gyokeres transfer saga.

Who is Kees Smit?

BySamuel Bannister

A product of the AZ academy, Smit enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2024-25, in which he made 30 appearances across the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup and Europa League.

To cap it all off, he was then named the player of the tournament as the Netherlands won the under-19s European Championship, where he was also the top scorer.

Lauded by experts for his intensity, Smit stands out for his passing and ball-striking ability just as much as his aggression in duels.

He’s a good ball carrier, which he was able to express while playing in a more advanced midfield role, although he has gained game time in virtually any midfield position so far.

In the 2024-25 Europa League, Fbref’s database suggests he was most stylistically similar to Takefusa Kubo, but he also showed strong similarities with James Maddison and Bruno Fernandes.

In fact, he ranked in the 99th percentile of midfielders for goals and assists per 90 minutes in that competition, as well as the same percentile for shots, goal-creating actions and take-ons that led to a shot attempt.

“We really want to keep Kees Smit. It will be very good for him if he stays,” AZ coach Martens said recently.

But AZ may have their work cut out, with Smit insisting earlier in the year that he wants to be playing regularly and is itching to show what he can do.

Those opportunities have been starting to filter through, but it remains to be seen where he will take his talents in the future.

Read full news in source page