Newcastle United join Real Madrid and Barcelona in race for £20m European gem | OneFootball

Newcastle United have reportedly joined Real Madrid and Barcelona in the race for Dutch wonderkid Kees Smit. 

The Magpies are in the market for talented players following a difficult start to the season.

Eddie Howe’s men have performed well in the Champions League, but their Premier League form has been a cause of concern for the supporters. 

Back-to-back defeats against West Ham United and Brentford dropped Newcastle to 14th in the standings. 

However, despite their domestic struggles, Newcastle still believe they can attract Europe’s brightest talents to St James’ Park. 

According to the Daily Mail, they are pushing to sign AZ Alkmaar midfielder Smit, who has been compared to Barcelona star Pedri. 

However, they face competition from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund for the 19-year-old. 

Despite his young age, he has already made 50 senior appearances for AZ, bagging four goals and six assists. 

The Dutchman can glide past opposition players, excels at forward passes and also boasts great tactical intelligence and vision.

He is contracted with AZ until 2028, but a fee of around £20 million could reportedly persuade the Eredivisie club to sell him. 

Given the interest from some of Europe’s best clubs, it would be a major boost to Newcastle if they win the race to sign him.

Stats from Transfermarkt.