'We'll see what happens': Newcastle United target Kees Smit breaks silence on January transfer speculation
Newcastle United are reportedly keen to try and beat Europe's big hitters to the signing of AZ Alkmaar sensation Kees Smit.
The Magpies are thought to be planning a winter raid for the 19-year-old midfielder, expecting that other clubs are likely to want to wait until the summer to make their move.
As Fabrizio Romano recently pointed out, Newcastle are prepared to splash the cash to get an early jump on things, but Alkmaar and Smit are thought to be happy to wait until the end of the season.
The Dutch side knows how much interest there is in their young talent and will be keen to see what happens if and when a bidding war breaks out in the summer.
Newcastle's hopes of beating the big boys to Kees Smit have taken a battering
Any hopes Newcastle had of signing Smit this month were already slim, but it's probably safe to say that they are now completely non-existent after Smit's admission to ESPN (via NUFC Blog) after AZ Alkmaar's 1-0 win over FC Volendam at the weekend.
“I know how it is. That’s the most important thing, but I don’t want to say much about it.
“It (a move) is definitely not going to happen this winter. I will 100% stay here.
“It’s great that it’s a big fee, of course, but I mainly want to focus on football. We’ll see what happens.”
AZ Alkmaar have a licence to print money with Kees Smit
Smit's value is rising at an uncontrollable rate after initially being valued somewhere between £20 million and £30 million; the latest figures are closer to £52 million.
By the time the summer rolls around, we could be looking at well over £60 million for whoever ends up taking the youngster away from the Netherlands.
We highly doubt that it will be Newcastle, unfortunately, considering the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea are all thought to be in the mix.
