Kees Smit back on Newcastle's radar? - Tim Krul drops hint and £52m claims questioned

Newcastle United have been continuously linked with an interest in AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, along with most of Europe.

The 20-year-old wonderkid has attracted a lot of attention from some of Europe's biggest clubs with his mature midfield displays for Alkmaar in the Eredivisie.

There was a lot of talk towards the end of 2025 that Newcastle were going to make their move for Smit in January to try and get ahead of other clubs who were likely waiting until the summer.

This never happened, although Alkmaar and Smit had made it pretty clear that they'd be waiting until the summer before making any decisions, with an end of season move now on the cards.

Newcastle want Smit - but at what cost?

Newcastle are now likely to have to enter a huge bidding war if they want to bring the Dutchman to Tyneside.

Former Mag Tim Krul has backed up reports that we remain keen, telling Voetbal Primeur that "Newcastle are after him" and that "everyone in England" are impressed, but it's his potential price tag that may be the problem.

Ex-Ajax star Theo Janssen told Voetbal Primeur that his current €60 million (£52 million) valuation doesn't make sense, calling it "ridiculous" in a new interview.

“€60m is a ridiculous amount of money for Smit. €60m?! Come on.

"That puts a lot of pressure on that boy. If that boy brings in €15m, that is already a lot of money.

"He does need to score a bit more goals and get physically stronger. He is so smart and thinks a few steps further than the rest."

The inevitable bidding war

If there is any chance that Kees Smit could be snapped up for as little as €15 million (£13 million), the scramble would be one the likes of which we've never seen.

With the sheer number of clubs in the mix, a bidding war feels inevitable for the Dutch talent compared to Pedri by Ronald Koeman. But only time will tell if he's worth the £50m-plus being touted by the media.

Our question is just how serious Newcastle are about him, how much they'd be willing to pay Alkmaar and what they would offer Smit to tempt him to the North East over the many other clubs who have their eye on him?

The pull of European football could be key, but the right plan for his development and good coaching may be even more important, as the wrong move so soon in his young career could set him back a few seasons following regular football at AZ.