Fabrizio Romano confirms Real Madrid are ready to meet club record fee to land star Slot dreams of signing for Liverpool | OneFootball

Liverpool will need to act quickly if they are to win the race to sign a player billed as Arne Slot’s dream target at Anfield this summer after Fabrizio Romano confirmed Real Madrid were now making a beeline for his signature, though TEAMtalk sources can reveal the Merseysiders may have a slight advantage.

It’s not unusual for both Real Madrid and Liverpool to cross swords over the biggest talents in the game, and in recent years, the Premier League champions have had to bow down to the Spanish giants in the race to sign both Jude Bellingham and Aurlien Tchouameni. Not forgetting, of course, that Trent Alexander-Arnold was also lured away at the end of his contract at Anfield, though Real did fork out a €10m fee for the player to register him in time for the Club World Cup.

Now the two sides are gearing up for another summer transfer battle royale, this time over 20-year-old Dutch sensation, Kees Smit.

The AZ Alkmaar midfielder has enjoyed a meteoric rise, racking up 60 senior appearances since debuting in the 2023/24 campaign.

Backed to break into the senior Netherlands squad for the World Cup finals, 2026 is also shaping up to be a big year for Smit, too, on the transfer front.

Indeed, we revealed on December 30, 2025, that Liverpool are among the clubs keen on a 2026 deal for Smit, with manager Arne Slot a long-term admirer of the star and having followed his career from a young age.

Compared to Frenkie de Jong, it is easy to see why a number of sides, not just the Merseysiders, are keen on his signing.

However, Romano has now confirmed that Spanish giants Real Madrid are also raising the stakes for Smit – and are not deterred by the fact that AZ will demand a club-record fee for his services. To that end, any deal is expected to absolutely obliterate the AZ record; that being the €25m (£21.8m, $30m) fee received for Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan in 2023.

Romano on Real plans for Kees Smit and why Liverpool may have advantage

Speaking ahead of what is expected to be a blockbuster summer move, Romano has confirmed that Smit’s future is already in the hands of super-agent Jorge Mendes.

Not only does an association with the Portuguese almost guarantee a blockbuster move is in the pipeline, but his strong associations with Real president Florentino Perez could yet prove advantageous.

“Jorge Mendes is in control of the situation. There is Real Madrid interested and several Premier League top clubs so there is going to be a big battle in the Premier League and Spanish clubs,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.

“Let’s see what happens because Kes Smit and AZ Alkmaar, it is going to be a huge summer, a huge battle. It’s not going to be easy to sign him because 40-45 million euros is not going to be enough, it’s going to be big money.

“For sure, it’s going to be a big battle, so get for Kees Smit because he’s going to be a big part of conversations.”

With regards to that fee, our reporter Graeme Bailey reported back in December that while AZ refuse to comment on Smit, it is believed that they are already asking for more than €60million (£52.2m, $70.6m) for his services.

In fact, some in the Netherlands feel the fee for Smit could get close to the €75million (£65.3m, $88.3m) mark that Barcelona paid for De Jong in 2019.

Despite that, Liverpool may already have an advantage in the battle to sign Smit. Having tracked the player for years, Slot and Smit already have that connection and it’s understood the Reds have already held preliminary talks with a star, who is also already ingrained in English culture, having travelled over the Alexandra Palace for the 2026 World Darts back in December.

Liverpool scolded for two transfer blunders; Real to beat Reds to German colossus

Meanwhile, a controversial pundit has named the two players that Liverpool are missing, lamenting the Reds for failing to adequately replace either player and their exits being a big factor in their fall from grace this season.

Elsewhere, Mohamed Salah has finally decided to leave Liverpool this summer, according to strong reports in France, with the player having ‘opened discussions’ with Al-Ittihad and with the Egyptian poised to sign one of the most lucrative contracts in sports history.

And finally, it seems it’s not just Smit who Real will battle Liverpool for this summer.

Now reports in the German media claim the Reds have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of an outstanding Germany international star, with .