Real Madrid keeping close tabs on Eredivisie midfield prodigy Kees Smit

Real Madrid are keeping a close eye on the meteoric rise of AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit ahead of a potential future move (h/t Diario AS).

After rising through AZ’s youth ranks, the Dutch prodigy broke into the first team last season, drawing plaudits for his performances in the Eredivisie and Europa League.

He grabbed further spotlight with his stellar campaign in the U19 European Championship earlier this year. The 19-year-old was crowned the Player of the Tournament after bagging four goals and an assist in five games to lead the Netherlands team to the trophy.

Building on that sensational tournament, Smit has grown by leaps and bounds this season, establishing himself as a key cog in AZ’s engine room.

He has been influential behind AZ’s third position in the current Eredivisie rankings, just four points off the top spot, delivering brilliant performances consistently.

With the versatility to play in different positions in the midfield, Smit has scored two goals and provided two assists in 11 league games this season, which includes the strike in the latest win against Sparta Rotterdam.

He also produced a great performance in the win against Slovan Bratislava in the Europa Conference League group fixture.

Smit is technically rich, excellent in various aspects such as progressive passing, carrying, playmaking and shooting ability. He is also an aggressive presser in the attacking third who looks to disrupt the opponent’s build-up play.

Madrid’s interest speaks volumes about the ceiling of Smit, who is undoubtedly among the most exciting young talents in Europe at the moment. His stock will only climb if he continues to perform at this rate.

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Manager Xabi Alonso had planned to bolster the midfield during the summer transfer window, but Madrid eventually turned down his request. 

However, Los Blancos are planning to invest in new midfielders in the summer of 2026. 

They are planning to re-sign Nico Paz from Como and Stuttgart’s Chema Andres by activating their buy-back clauses.