Kees Smit is the subject of interest from Liverpoolplaceholder image
Kees Smit is the subject of interest from Liverpool | ANP/AFP via Getty Images
Liverpool and Man United are battling to sign one of Europe’s most coveted wonderkids
European hopefuls Manchester United are reported to be ‘in talks’ to sign a highly-rated Liverpool target that Arne Slot and his recruitment team have reportedly been keeping tabs on for several months.
Caught Offside reports that a departure for AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit is getting closer and closer, while predicting that a transfer is highly likely to happen in 2026, in either the January or summer window.
Who is Kees Smit?
Kees Smit is a highly-rated Dutch football that currently plays in midfield for AZ Alkmaar in the top-flight.
He’s only 19-years-old but has already racked up more than 50 senior appearances for AZ while gaining experience in European competitions such as the Europa League and Conference League.
Smit joined the AZ academy when he was nine years old and signed his first professional contract in 2021 at the age of 15. He played 46 times for the B team and was a member of the squad which won the UEFA Youth League in 2023, knocking out the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid before beating Hajduk Split 5-0 in the final.
The teenager is a box-to-box central midfielder but has often been deployed in a deeper, more defensive position at club level. He’s known for his excellent range of passing, high intensity and ability to win the ball back for his team.
Despite being a defensive-minded player at club level, however, he’s proven he’s capable of scoring goals. He was the top scorer at the recent Under-19 European Championships over the summer for Netherlands and won Player of the Tournament as an exciting Oranje team reigned supreme in the tournament for the first time in the nation’s history at that level.
Smit has played 19 matches, chipping in with two goals and four assists for a team that currently sit third in this season’s title race, seven points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven.
Kees Smit transfer latest
The report referenced above from Caught Offside says: “Everyone at AZ is aware that Smit is likely to attract offers, and they’re open now to letting him go for the right price next summer. £25m is the figure I’m hearing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a deal ends up initially being agreed in January to then go through in the summer.”
As it stands, they add that Ruben Amorim’s United side are the first to make contact with Smit amid uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo.
Liverpool are yet to make their interest public but have been credited with interest by a number of news outlets, including Football Insider. Former Red Devils scout Mick Brown told the outlet: “He’s exactly the type of player Liverpool will be looking at. Clubs in England are always keeping close tabs on the Dutch league, they’ll cover it extensively, and especially Liverpool with the manager’s links over there. So I have no doubts they will have been watching Smit and keeping tabs on his performances.
“He’s very highly rated and there are a lot of teams watching him, and they will have been impressed with his performance against Palace in the Conference League. Even before that game, these clubs knew about him, and they’ll know all about what he can do.
“He was able to show that against Palace, a very good Premier League side, so that will be another boost in terms of figuring out how he would adapt. Liverpool are always looking to bring in these type of young players who can develop in their side and eventually become key, so he would very much fit that bill.”
Continue Reading