Newcastle fans will surely love Ross Wilson’s first move as Kevin De Bruyne 2.0 eyed for £20m
Ross Wilson was confirmed as Newcastle United’s new sporting director in October, and he’s already making his mark at St James’ Park.
Wilson joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest after holding a position at the City Ground as a chief football officer for the past two-and-a-half years.
But since sealing his arrival in the North East, the 41-year-old has been warned about Newcastle’s potential PSR troubles and the importance of going far in the Champions League.
Football finance expert Dr Dan Plumley exclusively told Football Insider that he doesn’t expect the Magpies to spend big in January for fear of breaching PSR, and that is a huge concern.
Newcastle’s 3-1 defeat against Brentford before the international break left them just two points of safety, with Eddie Howe arguably needing some added reinforcements.
Newcastle want to sign AZ Alkmaar wonderkid Kees Smit
According to the Daily Mail, the Toon are ready to compete with Europe’s top clubs to sign AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, joining the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund in the race.
Premier League rivals Crystal Palace have also been linked to Smit and got a close-up view of the 19-year-old during their Europa Conference League tie on November 6.
The report claims that Smit – who sees his contract at AZ expire in June 2028 – is available for around £20million and Newcastle are ‘big admirers’ of the teenage sensation.
That said, whilst Wilson is keen to identify the continent’s most talented youngsters with scope for development, Football Insider revealed on October 7 that Palace are confident of signing Smit ahead of Real Madrid and other European powerhouses.
But with Joelinton and Joe Willock not hitting their best form of late, surely Newcastle must do everything in their power to capture the Dutch maestro, who has been likened to some of the world’s best.
Kees Smit likened to Kevin De Bruyne
In 2025/26 so far, Smit has produced six goal involvements in 19 appearances for AZ, but it isn’t just in the final third where he’s making an impact.
As highlighted by FBref, the midfield metronome is averaging 1.97 progressive carries and 5.78 progressive passes per 90 across the past year.
He’s also posting 4.12 shot-creating actions, which explains why Smit has been compared to Kevin De Bruyne for his technical prowess.
De Bruyne is one of the Premier League’s greatest ever midfielders and has continued his incredible playmaking talents at Napoli with four goals and two assists in 11 appearances this term.