Chelsea are ‘frontrunners’ ahead of Man Utd and Tottenham in the race to sign highly rated Dutch midfield prodigy Kees Smit from AZ Alkmaar, according to The i Paper.
Smit came to the limelight in 2023 when he scored a stunning goal from the halfway line against Barcelona in the UEFA Youth League.
His reputation grew even further last summer when he played a starring role at the European Under-19 Championship, inspiring the Netherlands to tournament success.
He ended the competition as joint leading scorer and was voted Player of the Tournament, performances that inevitably attracted interest from leading clubs across Europe, including Chelsea.
Beyond youth level, the Dutch midfielder has regularly worn the captain’s armband above his age bracket and was fast-tracked into senior football through Jong AZ in the Eerste Divisie.
Already, Smit has surpassed 50 appearances for AZ’s senior side, featured on the European stage, and earned glowing praise from national team coach Ronald Koeman, who has compared aspects of his game to Barcelona playmaker Pedri.
With several clubs expressing interest, it appears Chelsea are set to steal a march on their rivals, according to The i Paper, which claims that Enzo Maresca’s side have emerged as the ‘frontrunners’ in the race to sign Smit.
The report adds that the West London club are keen on the 19-year-old and are ready to trump competition from other interested clubs, including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, to sign the midfield prodigy.
Prodigy
The Blues have been in talks with the Netherlands U21 star’s entourage recently to discuss his possible transfer to Stamford Bridge, though it’s unclear whether that move will happen in January, according to the report.
Kees is contracted with the two-time Eredivisie champions until 2028. Still, despite significant interest in his signature from well-funded European clubs like Chelsea, The i Paper reports that AZ have placed a meagre £25m valuation on the youngster who is regarded as ‘the real deal’.
Maresca has reiterated several times how much he likes to utilise players who can play in different positions, and his preference is evident in his use of Reece James and Marc Cucurella, who usually alternate into midfield roles, while Moises Caicedo constantly drops into centre-back roles during build-up.
Smit’s versatility is one area that appeals to the Blues, and with £25m, Chelsea could be getting a midfielder with a complete skill set who could grow into an important player in the club’s future at a steal.
