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DaveOCKOP exclusively revealed that Liverpool has serious interest in AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit last week.
Smit has been on Liverpool’s scouting lists for some time, having broken through at AZ as one of the standout young midfielders in the Netherlands.
Operating mainly as a central or defensive midfielder, he has already clocked up well over 30 senior league appearances, posting multiple goals and assists in Eredivisie and European competition despite his age.
This season alone he has started the majority of AZ’s league games, logging more than 1,500 minutes and contributing both goals and assists while ranking highly for minutes and chance creation among defensive midfielders in the division. Technically clean, press‑resistant and comfortable dictating play between the lines, Smit has been compared in some quarters to Pedri, underlining the ceiling many believe he has.
Liverpool’s interest comes in the context of heavy competition from Europe’s elite and the expectation that AZ will demand a club‑record fee for their academy product.
That financial reality is now starting to reshape the race – particularly in Spain, where Real Madrid have cooled their pursuit.
Diario AS claim the La Liga giants are increasingly reluctant to push ahead with a deal now that super‑agent Jorge Mendes has been enlisted to handle negotiations, with fears any transfer could spiral into a premium‑priced auction.
Mendes’ reputation as one of the game’s toughest negotiators has left Madrid wary of paying top dollar for a player who, while hugely talented, would arrive to fight for minutes in an already stacked midfield.
It is flat out stated that Los Blancos will not be paying 60 million euros for the player:
“The entry of Jorge Mendes makes the operation more expensive, which means adding certain difficulties for Madrid. AZ Alkmaar aspire to a sale that reaches 60 million euros between fixed and variable, a very high figure that, given the way the white team proceeds in the market, it will be necessary to reduce in order to reach an agreement,” reports Christian Blasco.
With Real stepping back and AZ still keen to cash in at the right price, the door could be nudging open for Liverpool and others to make their move
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