Real Madrid keeping close tabs on Eredivisie midfield prodigy Kees Smit | OneFootball

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 European Under-19 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 established himself as a key cog in AZ’s engine room.

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

Smit has bagged two goals and two assists in 11 league games this season, which includes the strike in the latest win against Sparta Rotterdam.

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

Smit excels in various aspects, including progressive passing, carrying, playmaking and shooting ability. He is an aggressive presser in the attacking third who can also disrupt the opponent’s build-up play.

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

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 next summer.

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