Manchester City's Pep Guardiola attending a press conference (main image) with insets of mystery player (top right corner) and Real Madrid badge (b...
Manchester City's Pep Guardiola attending a press conference (main image) with insets of mystery player (top right corner) and Real Madrid badge (b...
Manchester City and Real Madrid have been the two most standout sides across European football over the past few years.
Pep Guardiola’s domestic dominance since being appointed by City in 2016 coupled with the fact that he won the second treble of his career at the Etihad Stadium speaks volumes of his extraordinary impact.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have been a force of nature in Europe, winning the Champions League a staggering five times in the past 10 seasons.
Real Madrid are targeting Rodri, which goes to show that they have kept an eye on Manchester City’s progress over the years.
However, Manchester City have been linked with Eduardo Camavinga as well.
Khalid Boulahrouz has already predicted Man City target to sign for Real Madrid
Pep Guardiola’s men have their sights on Kees Smit, another young central midfielder, as exclusively revealed by Manchester City News alongside several elite clubs such as Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Smit was pictured in a Real Madrid shirt and interestingly, the AZ Alkmaar wonderkid has confirmed Los Blancos’ interest in securing his services.
Kees Smit of Netherlands Under-19 Football Team is awarded the Player of the Tournament trophy, as Netherlands U19 are crowned Under-19 Tournament winners after the Spain vs. Netherlands: UEFA European Under-19 Championship 2025 Final
Photo by Alexandra Fechete/MB Media/Getty Images
Former AZ academy graduate Khalid Boulahrouz compared the 19-year-old to Frenkie de Jong and predicted Real Madrid to sign him, saying via Voetbal Primeur: “I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up at Real Madrid.”
“He’s a bit like Frenkie de Jong, a Barça player. He’s a guy who’s always looking for the ball. You can always play him, he always offers himself under pressure.”
“We saw that match against Romania…”
Khalid Boulahrouz continued to laud Manchester City and Real Madrid target Smit, adding: “He rotates in midfield. He’s a true Barça player, and Barcelona is looking for these kinds of guys.”
Kees Smit stats compared to Frenkie de Jong
However, City fans would be hoping that much like fellow Dutch players such as Nathan Ake and Tijjani Reijnders, he also makes a move to the Etihad Stadium.
Judging by his stats, one can understand why Khalid Boulahrouz compared Smit to De Jong, a parallel that perhaps both Manchester City and Real Madrid may agree with.
Considering AZ finished fifth in the Dutch top-flight last season, the reason why Smit does not seem as dominant on the ball as De Jong is partially due to the team he plays for coupled with the latter being a top midfielder.
However, with the youngster being incredibly proactive out of possession while also being comfortable on the ball, he could become a potentially world-class number eight.