Barcelona join Real Madrid and Atletico in race for €60m midfield talent who dreams of Catalan giants

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Barcelona join Real Madrid and Atletico in race for €60m midfield talent who dreams of Catalan giants


Barcelona already have a stacked first-team midfield with the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez.


There is also a pipeline of midfielders coming through La Masia, like Guille Fernandez, Brian Farinas and Oriol Goren, who all seem to have the talent to make it to the first team.


To add even more firepower, especially to their defensive midfield, Barça are also in negotiations to try to sign Rodri from Manchester City.


The 30-year-old World Cup winner would transform Barça’s midfield from a very good one to potentially Champions League-worthy, and negotiations are in full swing.


Despite all this, according to AS, Barça have positioned themselves in the race to sign talented Dutch midfielder Kees Smit.

Barcelona keeping tabs on Kees Smit​

The report mentions that Barça are just monitoring the situation and that any serious pursuit will ultimately depend on the Rodri deal’s outcome.


Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are also interested in signing the 20-year-old, whose agent is Jorge Mendes.


Smit has been considered one of the brightest midfield prospects in Dutch football for several years.

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Kees Smit is back on Barcelona’s radar. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)


His reputation grew significantly during AZ’s 2023 UEFA Youth League triumph, and he has since established himself at senior level.


The midfielder’s ability to use both feet, combine in tight areas and break opposition lines has attracted attention from Spain’s biggest clubs.


Atletico already attempted to sign him during the previous winter window, while Real Madrid have Smit on their radar.


For Barça, if they manage to sign Rodri, making another major midfield investment would be difficult to imagine this summer, particularly with Smit’s valuation potentially reaching around €60 million.

Smit has already made his Barcelona preference clear​

There is, however, an intriguing detail working in Barça’s favour should they eventually decide to pursue him.


Smit has openly described himself as a Barcelona supporter and previously revealed that he follows the club closely, saying he watches almost every match.


The youngster has also previously left the door open to a future move to Catalonia, indicating that he would be willing to listen if Barcelona approached him for negotiations.


The player has also reiterated that Pedri and Frenkie de Jong are two of his favourite players to watch every game.

A 2027 move could make more sense for Barça​

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Kees Smit has already expressed his desire to play for Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)


Perhaps the most interesting element of the situation is that Smit does not necessarily need to leave AZ immediately.


The Dutchman is open to spending another season with his current club, where regular football would allow him to continue developing.


One possibility would even involve agreeing a transfer ahead of the 2027-28 campaign. From Barcelona’s perspective, that timeline could be far more attractive.


Rodri is the priority today, while Barça already possess considerable young midfield talent.


There is little reason to spend heavily on Smit simply because Madrid and Atletico are interested.


However, a player of his profile, age and technical qualities is certainly worth monitoring, particularly when he has already made his affection for Barcelona clear.


For now, Rodri comes first. Smit, however, could quickly become a name worth remembering for the future.

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