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Liverpool is being linked with a move for a top European prospect in AZ Alkmaar's Kees Smit, but he won't come cheap amid competition from a host of big clubs
Liverpool has been told that a huge sum of money will be required in order to sign AZ Alkmaar prospect Kees Smit, who is apparently being eyed by a host of top clubs.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid are all among the clubs that are being linked with a move for Smit. The 19-year-old is already a regular starter for AZ, and it will surely not be long before he makes his senior international debut for the Netherlands, having been named as the player of the tournament at the Under-19 Euros earlier this year.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano provided an update on the youngster's transfer prospects, suggesting that AZ has already rejected offers of around €60 million ($70 million) for the teenager.
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“Sources at the club have told me that they have received proposals of around €60 million and have been rejected. The price is higher.”
Smit is expected to remain at AZ beyond the January transfer window, with a move away from the Dutch club more likely to take place next summer.
The teenager is contracted to AZ until 2028 but it seems unlikely that he will see out that deal amid the interest in him from a host of European giants.
In a new interview with De Telegraaf, Smit himself said that he hopes to move on over the next couple of years. "How long do I see myself at AZ? I think six months or a year-and-a-half, after that, I hope to have taken the next step.
"I expect my transfer to be completed for €30m. It would be AZ's most expensive signing and would be good for the club. My next step is outside of the Netherlands, I don't find it difficult to deal with [the speculation]. In fact, I think it's wonderful and I've started thinking about it."
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman previously likened Smit to Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
"Kees Smit is a player I look at [as a possible option for the 2026 World Cup]," Koeman said. "I once knew Pedri at Barcelona and I see things in him now… the turning, the scanning, the vision, the two-footedness. If Kees gets half his career, we'll be very happy in the Netherlands."
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