Liverpool Pursue AZ Alkmaar Star Kees Smit for £51.5m

Liverpool’s midfield rebuild might not be done yet. Far from it, if the latest scouting mission is any indication.

Club representatives were in the stands at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night, watching AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit in a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland. The result was forgettable. The performance from the 20-year-old was not.

Reports describe Smit as having produced “another eye-catching display” despite Enzo Le Fée’s late penalty settling the friendly. That’s exactly the kind of context scouts care about: how a player copes when the game tilts against him, when the script doesn’t go his way. For Liverpool, this was not a casual look. TeamTalk say the club are “long-term admirers of Smit” and had travelled to Wearside specifically to track his progress.

They weren’t alone.

Chelsea, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Brighton all had eyes on the same player, according to the same report, with Smit named as the primary reason for their visits. When that many Premier League clubs converge on one fixture, it usually signals more than routine due diligence. This is an active race forming around a single target.

Rising Star, Rising Price

Smit has forced his way into the wider conversation over the past 18 months. He has “emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting young midfield talents” and is now a central figure in an AZ side sitting second in the Eredivisie. His influence has grown in tandem with the club’s strong start, and that blend of youth, responsibility and upward curve is exactly what top clubs now pay premium money for.

And premium is the word. The Dutch midfielder is being spoken of as a “€60m (£51.5m, $69m) rated star”. That valuation plants him squarely in the top bracket of young European midfielders. If Liverpool decide to move in January, they will know two things: competition will be fierce, and discounts are unlikely.

This isn’t a case of a player bursting onto the scene over a few weeks and suddenly attracting hype. The report stresses that his performances since breaking into the AZ first team in 2024 have drawn “sustained interest from England for more than two years”. The Sunderland trip was another data point in a long-running process, not a snap reaction.

His omission from Ronald Koeman’s latest Netherlands squad may have stung, but it has “done little to diminish the interest” around him. If anything, his response at club level has kept the spotlight firmly fixed.

Iraola’s Midfield Question

The story sharpens when you place it against Liverpool’s tactical backdrop.

TeamTalk report that “The Reds are understood to be considering a mid-season swoop for a new midfielder”, with Andoni Iraola concerned that “his current options cannot bring his high-intensity press demands to life.” For a coach whose football is built on energy, aggression and relentless pressing out of possession, that’s a significant admission.

If the staff feel the existing midfield does not fully deliver the physical and tactical edge Iraola wants, then a player like Smit becomes more than an interesting name. He becomes a potential solution.

Liverpool are said to have “shortlisted four potential options ahead of the January window”, with Smit now “added to that list”. No one is suggesting a deal is imminent, but the combination of long-term admiration, detailed scouting and a clearly defined tactical need gives this story real weight.

This is not just about stockpiling talent. It’s about finding someone who can raise the collective level immediately while still fitting the long-term profile the club have leaned into: young, technically strong, upward trajectory.

A Market Waiting to Explode

There is a sense of unfinished business around Smit’s situation. The midfielder “had been expected to make a move during the summer, but no transfer materialised despite strong interest from clubs across Europe.” When that kind of anticipation carries over into a new window and the performances don’t dip, the stage is set for a decisive bid.

The Premier League presence in Sunderland underlined that. Clubs know the market for elite young midfielders has shifted sharply. £51.5m is a serious fee for a player still proving himself at the highest level, but hesitation can be costly when rivals are prepared to act.

From Liverpool’s point of view, the calculation is clear. The age profile fits. The upside is obvious. The groundwork, by all accounts, has been ongoing for some time. If Iraola truly believes a new midfielder is needed to fully ignite his pressing game, interest could quickly harden into action.

Supporters will not want another project player who needs years before making an impact. They will want someone who can inject intensity on day one and still grow into a cornerstone of the next cycle.

Kees Smit looks like he could be that type of signing. The question now is whether Liverpool are prepared to pay the price – and whether they are willing to win a race that is already forming around AZ Alkmaar’s latest export-in-waiting when January finally opens the door.