Newcastle Leads Race for AZ Alkmaar Star Kees Smit
The chase for Kees Smit has turned into a full sprint.
Newcastle United have moved aggressively for the highly-rated AZ Alkmaar midfielder, accelerating talks in recent weeks after the 20-year-old made it clear he is ready to leave the Eredivisie this summer. The interest is not new. The urgency is.
Newcastle’s recruitment team have tracked Smit for a long time, convinced that his technical polish, composure on the ball and knack for dictating the rhythm of games fit perfectly with their long-term vision. Inside St James’ Park, he is viewed as a player who could step straight into a major role if Sandro Tonali’s future takes him away from Tyneside amid strong attention from Tottenham.
Smit is no bargain-bin punt. AZ are expected to demand around €60m (£52m, $69m) for the Netherlands Under-21 international, a price that underlines how highly he is regarded across Europe.
Premier League heavyweights join the race
Newcastle are not alone. Far from it.
Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been sounded out over Smit’s availability, each of them long-standing admirers of one of Dutch football’s brightest young midfielders. All three see the same thing: age, upside, and a profile suited to the modern Premier League engine room.
At Liverpool, the situation is nuanced. The club are expected to bring in a new midfielder for Andoni Iraola, but their immediate priority lies out wide as they search for a winger. Smit sits on a broader shortlist of midfield options rather than at the very top of a one-man list, yet the interest is real and being monitored.
Smit, though, is in no rush to be swept along by the noise.
Those close to the player insist he will not be bounced into a quick decision. Missing out on Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands squad for the World Cup finals earlier this summer cut deep, but it also sharpened his focus. The next move has to be the right one, not just the most glamorous or the most lucrative. Regular football matters. The pathway matters.
That stance keeps the door open for a wide range of clubs who can sell him on minutes as much as medals.
Newcastle’s pitch: cornerstone, not squad piece
Newcastle believe they can do exactly that.
They have made it clear they see Smit as a potential cornerstone of their midfield for years to come, particularly if Tonali moves on. The message from Tyneside is simple: come here, and you are not just another signing. You are part of the spine.
Yet the Premier League field is crowded. Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Brentford and Fulham have all lodged enquiries and remain very much in the conversation. Each of those clubs views Smit as the type of player who could grow into a dominant Premier League midfielder, someone whose ceiling is still some way off.
European royalty watching from a distance
The attention does not stop in England.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have both checked on Smit’s situation, carrying out their own assessments of the AZ youngster. At this stage, though, neither of Spain’s giants is believed to be driving the race. Their interest is real but distant, more watchful than decisive.
Instead, other European options may prove more appealing for a player still in the formative years of his career.
RB Leipzig and Stuttgart are tracking developments closely in the Bundesliga, while Monaco have registered their interest from Ligue 1. Those clubs believe they can offer Smit a powerful combination: a high competitive level and a realistic chance to start regularly, rather than being buried behind established stars.
For a 20-year-old intent on building, not just arriving, that argument carries weight.
AZ’s last stand
There is also a scenario that would keep Smit exactly where he is.
AZ Alkmaar have not abandoned hope of retaining their midfielder and would happily keep him in the Netherlands for at least one more season. With European football secured for next term, AZ feel they can offer Smit continuity, a familiar environment and a central role in a side competing on multiple fronts.
From their perspective, another year in Alkmaar could serve everyone well: the club benefit from his quality, the player continues to grow without the turbulence of an immediate big move, and any future transfer fee is unlikely to shrink.
For now, though, the battle lines are drawn.
Newcastle have positioned themselves strongly, intent on convincing Smit that his future lies in black and white stripes. Around them, Premier League rivals and European contenders are preparing their own pitches, each trying to strike the right balance between ambition and opportunity.
The midfielder has time on his side and a long list of suitors. The question now is not whether Kees Smit gets his move, but which project he trusts with the next, defining step of his career.
