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Liverpool’s interest in Kees Smit has been bubbling away for months, with the AZ Alkmaar midfielder rapidly emerging as one of the most coveted young playmakers in Europe.
DaveOCKOP.com reported in January that the club had already held preliminary talks with the player’s representatives.
Still only 20, Smit has become a key figure for AZ this season, chipping in with 3 goals and 2 assists in the Eredivisie and impressing with his press-resistance, vision and ability to dictate tempo from midfield. It is little surprise that Liverpool, alongside the likes of Real Madrid, Newcastle United and several Premier League rivals, are watching his development closely as they map out the next phase of their midfield rebuild.
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That rising hype has now been matched by a huge reported asking price. Dutch outlet Soccernews.nl relay that figures of around 60 million euros are already being mentioned as the sum AZ would like to receive for Smit in an upcoming transfer.
The valuation became a hot topic on Ziggo Sport’s TV show Rondo, where a panel of well-known Dutch pundits debated whether that number can really be justified.
Analyst and former Schalke and Twente forward Youri Mulder was unconvinced by Smit’s recent European display, saying: “I didn’t think he was that good against Sparta Prague either.” Dutch legend Ruud Gullit, the former Chelsea and AC Milan star, followed up by asking bluntly: “Is it a bit of a hype?”
Former Netherlands international and current ESPN analyst Theo Janssen, however, took a very different stance. He insisted: “I actually think he’s really good. He has great vision, technically he’s very capable, he can slow the game down and speed it up… He is so smart and thinks a few steps ahead of the rest.”
Even Janssen, though, pushed back hard on the suggested 60 million fee. On Rondo he called it “total madness”, adding: “Sixty million is ridiculously a lot of money for little Kees Smit. Sixty million?! Come on. That puts a huge amount of pressure on that boy. If that boy brings in fifteen million, that’s already a lot of money.”
Former Netherlands goalkeeper Tim Krul underlined how big the market is for Smit by revealing on the same show: “Everyone in England as well – Newcastle are after him.”
With Real Madrid also credited with strong interest and super-agent Jorge Mendes involved in his future, Liverpool know they are fighting on both sporting and financial fronts if they decide to go all in for AZ’s latest wonderkid.
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