Overview
- Sky Sports’ Keith Downie reports AZ will not stand in the way of a January move and will seek a club-record fee exceeding £22 million.
- Newcastle have intensified their push under new sporting director Ross Wilson, positioning first-team minutes as a key part of their pitch.
- Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund continue to monitor Smit, with Crystal Palace and unnamed Bundesliga clubs also credited with interest.
- Smit is under contract at AZ until 2028, with earlier reports citing valuations in the £20m–€23m range, and no transfer agreement has been reached.
- Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has likened Smit to Pedri, the midfielder has called Barcelona his favourite club, and he has logged roughly 50 senior AZ appearances with goals and assists on the board.