Real Madrid ‘Learn Asking Price’ for Midfield Target Chased by Liverpool, Man Utd

Madrid, Spain – Real Madrid have discovered that securing AZ Alkmaar’s 20-year-old midfield prodigy Kees Smit will cost well above €45 million ($53.6 million), a figure sources expect to climb as Europe’s heavyweights prepare for a summer auction.

Los Blancos have tracked Smit as the long-term heir to Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić, believing the Dutch international’s game intelligence, tight-space composure and progressive passing can re-energise a midfield that has looked pedestrian for large stretches of the 2024-25 campaign. Yet the price of poker has risen sharply: transfer insider Fabrizio Romano describes an imminent “huge battle” and warns that any winning bid will be “big money,” starting north of the €45 million baseline.

Competition is fierce. Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have all positioned scouts at Alkmaar matches this season, and the Eredivisie club hold contractual leverage through June 2028. Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman further fuelled the hype last month, comparing Smit’s skillset to that of Barcelona orchestrator Pedri. With each laudatory quote and eye-catching performance, the eventual fee edges upward.

Real Madrid’s board now faces a strategic crossroads. Although the club has never flinched at record outlays—illustrated by the €103 million invested in Jude Bellingham (2023) and the €100 million splash for Eden Hazard (2019)—recent windows have been restrained. Madrid spent nothing in the most recent January market and have surpassed the €100 million mark in only two of the last six summer periods. Priority reinforcements at centre-back and full-back are also on the shopping list, complicating any single-player splurge.

Inside the Valdebebas training complex, coaches see Smit as a theoretical solution to the team’s ball-progression woes, but they also acknowledge the leap from the Eredivisie to the Bernabéu can be perilous for a player with fewer than 100 senior club appearances. The memory of 19-year-old defender Dean Huijsen’s slow acclimation this season lingers, and patience is thin after a 2024-25 season that ended without silverware. With only La Liga and the Champions League still within reach this year, decision-makers must weigh whether another developmental project aligns with an immediate return to glory.

Alternative targets already circulate at board level. Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha, a proven Champions League quarter-finalist, and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri are viewed as plug-and-play options capable of steering the midfield from day one. The dilemma is stark: gamble on Smit’s upside or allocate comparable funds toward a finished product.

As the saga unfolds, one certainty remains. AZ Alkmaar will entertain offers this summer, and the final valuation is unlikely to remain at €45 million. Whether Real Madrid double down on their tradition of stockpiling generational talents—or pivot toward a seasoned star—will determine if the next midfield conductor arrives in Madrid ready to orchestrate a title push or still learning on the job.