Kees Smit (AZ) talks renewal: closing on deal to 2030 with Barça and Real watching

Kees Smit, the 20-year-old attacking midfielder at AZ Alkmaar, is “close to reaching an agreement” to renew, with Voetbal reporting an extension until mid-2030. He previously had a contract running to June 30, 2028, and despite summer expectations, AZ didn’t sell.

Negotiations have been underway for a while: in mid-August, AZ told Smit that for now his sale wasn’t part of their planning. He joined the club’s academy at age nine and has kept the Barcelona connection front and center.

In April, during a celebratory trip by the AZ squad to Barcelona after winning the KNVB Cup, Smit joked to ESPN: “if they ask me to negotiate here, I’m totally willing to do it… I have time.” Earlier he said he grew up “watching Barça” and that when he leaves the Netherlands his ambition would be “to play LaLiga,” above other options including the Premier League.