Kees Smit is back on FC Barcelona’s radar. The AZ Alkmaar midfielder, widely seen as one of the brightest young talents in Dutch football, has made comments that only strengthen the connection with the blaugrana club. In a recent interview, he made it clear that La Liga is the destination that appeals to him most, and he also openly admitted that Barcelona are his favourite club.
The Dutch talent is going through a very serious stage of development. He is 19 years old, not 20, and his name is already being linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Recent reporting says that both Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the clubs tracking his progress, while interest from other major sides is also beginning to grow.
The most striking part is that the player himself has not tried to avoid the subject. In that recent YouTube interview, Smit made it clear that Spain is where he would most like to play if he leaves AZ, saying that he is attracted by the sun and warm weather after growing tired of the cold and rain in the Netherlands. That was not a vague answer, but a very direct message about the kind of move he would welcome in the future.
But the wink toward Barcelona did not stop there. Smit has also said that he watches almost all of Barça’s matches and that it is simply his favourite club. When speaking about the players he most enjoys following, he mentioned Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, two names that fit perfectly with the style of midfielder many people believe he could become.
Koeman compared him to Pedri and Europe is already watching closely
The excitement around Smit does not come only from his own words. Ronald Koeman publicly compared him to Pedri in late 2025, a remark that significantly increased the attention around the AZ midfielder. The comparison was presented as a reflection of his intelligence, interpretation of the game and comfort in possession-heavy structures.
Those kinds of comparisons always increase the pressure, but they also help explain the level of expectation around him. Smit was already one of the standout faces of AZ’s Youth League-winning generation in 2022/23, and since then his development has continued in a clearly upward direction. He is no longer being viewed only as an academy talent, but as a player edging closer to a major leap. That final point is an inference from the current transfer interest and his growing first-team and European profile.
His profile is admired because he combines technical quality, composure and the ability to operate between the lines, while also helping to connect phases of play with intelligence. That is why he keeps being linked to stylistic comparisons with midfielders such as Pedri and Frenkie, even if those parallels naturally come with a high level of demand.
Barça are following him, but the price could explode
In terms of production, Smit is already leaving a visible mark on the season. In the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League, he has recorded 8 appearances, 587 minutes and 3 assists, numbers that reinforce the feeling that he is becoming increasingly ready for a move to a bigger league.
The major issue for any interested club will be the price. Recent reporting says his current market value sits at around €25 million, but that an actual transfer fee could rise well above €50 million if a serious bidding war starts to build. That gap between valuation and probable sale price is one of the reasons why his next step could become much more complicated than it first appears.
That is why Barcelona are watching him closely, but without any public sign yet of a formal move. The interest is real, the player has clearly opened the door with his comments, and the football profile fits what Barça usually like in midfield. What remains to be seen is whether those signals stay at the level of admiration, or whether they eventually turn into a genuine operation for Kees Smit.
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