Liverpool Pursues £51.5m AZ Midfielder Kees Smit

Liverpool’s midfield rebuild might not be finished yet – and Kees Smit is rapidly moving from name on a spreadsheet to live, serious target.

The 20-year-old AZ Alkmaar midfielder was under the microscope at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday, with Liverpool among a heavy Premier League presence watching AZ’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland. The result was forgettable. Smit’s performance wasn’t.

He started the game and, by TeamTalk’s account, produced another “eye-catching display” before Enzo Le Fée’s late penalty settled it. For scouts, that matters more than the scoreline. This was another data point in a growing body of evidence on one of the Eredivisie’s standout young midfielders.

Liverpool were not alone. Far from it.

Chelsea, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Brighton all reportedly sent representatives to Wearside, with Smit understood to be the central focus of their trips. When half a dozen Premier League clubs turn up for the same player, that usually signals a live race, not idle curiosity.

Smit’s Rise Puts Him on Liverpool’s Radar

Over the past 18 months, Smit has pushed himself into the conversation as one of Europe’s most exciting young midfielders. He has become a key figure in an AZ side sitting second in the Eredivisie, his influence growing as the club’s form has held.

Liverpool’s interest tracks with that rise. The report describes the Reds as “long-term admirers of Smit”, with sustained monitoring stretching back more than two years, dating to his emergence in AZ’s first team in 2024. This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to one good night in Sunderland; it’s the continuation of a long scouting process.

There is already a clear financial marker attached. Smit is rated at around €60m (£51.5m, $69m) – a price tag that plants him firmly in the premium young-talent bracket. Any club stepping up in January will be paying full freight. No bargain bin here, and Liverpool know it.

His performances have kept him “firmly on the radar of clubs across the continent”, with interest from England described as “sustained” and “genuine”. The competition is real, and it is not going away.

January Window Looms Over Liverpool’s Midfield

The story sharpens when you look at Liverpool’s wider plans. TeamTalk report that the club are “considering a mid-season swoop for a new midfielder”, with Andoni Iraola said to harbour doubts over whether his current options can fully deliver the “high-intensity press” he demands.

For a coach whose entire game model leans on energy, aggression and repeated sprints out of possession, that’s a significant concern. If the staff feel the midfield can’t consistently bring that to life, the case for a January signing becomes stronger.

Smit fits that tactical brief. A young, mobile midfielder with the engine and intelligence to operate in a pressing system is exactly the profile Liverpool have often targeted. According to the report, the club have already “shortlisted four potential options ahead of the January window”, with Smit now added to that group.

Nothing is described as imminent. No bid, no advanced talks. But the combination of long-term admiration, tactical need and live scouting suggests a situation edging towards a decision point once the window opens.

A Market Waiting to Explode

Smit’s situation carries a familiar tension. He “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 move stalls, the story rarely ends there – it rolls forward into the next window, especially when the player keeps performing.

His omission from Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands squad has been framed as a setback, yet the report is clear: it has “done little to diminish the interest” around him. If anything, his response at club level has kept the noise loud and the scouts coming back.

The presence of Chelsea, Tottenham, Forest, Villa, Palace and Brighton in Sunderland underlines what Liverpool are up against. This is the modern market for elite young midfielders: prices inflated, timelines accelerated, hesitation punished.

At £51.5m, Smit sits in a bracket that forces hard questions. He is still proving himself at the very top level, but the going rate for players with his age profile and upside has shifted sharply. Clubs either pay early, or pay more later – if they can still get in at all.

For Liverpool, the tactical angle might be decisive. If Iraola truly believes a new midfielder is needed to ignite his pressing game, that could turn interest into action quickly. Supporters will expect a signing who raises the level immediately, not just one for the long term.

Smit, by all accounts, offers both: development potential and instant energy. The only unknown now is whether January becomes the moment Liverpool decide that waiting any longer is a risk they can’t afford.