Liverpool leading race for €50m Dutchman on the brink of massive transfer

Liverpool’s Dutch contingent is incredibly strong, but the Reds are looking to build it even more.

As well as having a Dutch head coach, Arne Slot, the Premier League champions currently have four senior Dutch internationals too.

Virgil van Dijk, Jeremie Frimpong, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch are all compatriots of Slot, and another Dutchman could be on his way to Anfield.

The Dutch are already the most represented nationality apart from the English at Liverpool and a signing from one of Slot’s former clubs could add to their numbers.

Multiple reports have linked AZ Alkmaar sensation Kees Smit with a Merseyside move, and the latest update suggests Liverpool could be leading the race.

Liverpool receive update on Smit ahead of summer move

After news broke during the January window that 20-year-old Smit was a target for the Reds, several significant reports have shed some light on the situation.

It is believed that it will take around €50 million (~£43.5m) to secure Smit’s signature in the summer, but Liverpool aren’t the only team interested and a bidding war could ensue.

Now, according to a report from Christian Falk in Germany, it is Liverpool alongside Real Madrid and Arsenal who are leading the race for the midfield starlet.

In the report, Falk confirmed that Bayern Munich were not actively in the battle for Smit, naming the three aforementioned teams as the sides most likely to sign him.

Slot’s midfield has looked thin at times this season, and with Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones now into the last 18 months of their contracts a fresh face in the midfield might be welcome.

Despite his young age, Smit is already a regular at AZ Alkmaar and his signing would align with Liverpool’s recent strategy of signing the very best young players in the positions they need.

Real Madrid and Arsenal will surely put up a fight, but it looks a real possibility that Smit is playing his football at Anfield next season.

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