Barcelona face Real Madrid, Chelsea battle for €60 million-rated Dutch midfield prodigy | OneFootball

From establishing himself as a regular starter at AZ Alkmaar to going on to spearhead the Netherlands youth national team at the U-19 Euros, the past year has been a memorable one for Kees Smit.

Just 19 years old, the young midfielder’s progression has not gone unnoticed, with top clubs across Europe lining up to sign him.

Barcelona among Kees Smit’s admirers

In fact, according to AS, reigning La Liga champions and current league leaders FC Barcelona happen to be one of Smit’s big admirers.

Indeed, the Blaugrana are among a series of elite European teams, along with Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich, monitoring the Dutch teenager. Newcastle United, too, are keeping tabs on the youngster.

Smit’s growth has been very impressive, with the youngster even earning heavy praise from Barcelona legend and current Netherlands manager, Ronald Koeman.

Kees Smit is attracting serious interest. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

The former Barça head coach even went on to compare the youngster with the Blaugrana’s midfield maestro, Pedri.

Meanwhile, Smit himself acknowledged in an interview in November that he was a huge admirer of Barcelona, which might give them an edge in the transfer battle.

AZ want €60 million

However, signing Smit will likely be a costly affair as AZ Alkmaar are in a strong negotiating position, having secured his contract until 2028. The Dutch club are asking for close to €60 million for their midfield prodigy.

It is a figure that demands serious consideration, especially from a team like Barcelona going through financial issues and have other priorities for the summer, including a new striker and a left-footed centre-back.

For now, Smit’s priority is to finish the season with AZ Alkmaar in the best possible way before thinking about a potential big move in 2026.