Newcastle will surely blow Crystal Palace away in race to sign sensation
Crystal Palace surely have no chance of signing one of Europe’s top prospects anymore as Premier League rivals Newcastle join the race for his services.
Crystal Palace have come on leaps and bounds under Oliver Glasner to be one of the rising forces in the Premier League right now.
That description is almost something of an understatement, considering they have won the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2025 and are currently competing in European football.
Their strong form in the last 12 months has seen them pull off some ambitious moves in the transfer market, with Spain international Yeremy Pino joining Palace in the summer and Marc Guehi staying amid serious interest from Liverpool.
Glasner’s side are shaping up for another strong campaign as they aim to go deep into the Conference League and finish even higher in the top-flight, but one mooted transfer now seems unlikely as they’re challenged by Newcastle.
Newcastle ahead of Palace in race to sign Kees Smit as fresh interest revealed
Palace were linked to AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit last month, with the 19-year-old regarded as one of the best prospects in his position across world football.
He is known to be a target for both Real Madrid and Barcelona too, but moves to either have been deemed unlikely at this stage in his career due to a potential lack of playing time.
The Daily Mail (13 November) have now reported that Newcastle are big admirers of Smit and ready to compete with Europe’s top clubs for the Alkmaar wonderkid.
There is thought to be a feeling in the Netherlands he will leave AZ in 2026 for a fee of around £20million, and the report states that the promise of more game-time at a Premier League club like the Magpies could be something that appeals to him ahead of a move to one of the Spanish giants.
Newcastle are hoping to become frontrunners for the 19-year-old’s signature, with new sporting director Ross Wilson keen to sign younger players who can develop into stars and the club eyeing midfield replacements that could join in the January window.
This, in turn, serves as a huge blow to Palace’s hopes of landing Smit, as not only are they behind the likes of Madrid and Barcelona, they are a less attractive option than fellow Premier League side Newcastle.
Newcastle are currently competing in the Champions League and have not finished below seventh place in the top flight in any of the last three campaigns.
They have enjoyed their own domestic success after lifting the Carabao Cup last season, and the uncertain futures of both Joelinton and Sandro Tonali point to a midfield gap that could need filling very soon.
Even though Palace are an attractive club to join right now, the might of the Magpies will surely be too much to overcome in the race for Smit, so they seem very unlikely to sign the youngster as of right now.
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has compared Smit to Pedri
Palace got a first-hand look at Smit last week as Alkmaar travelled to Selhurst Park for a Conference League tie that saw the hosts win 3-1.
Smit has been compared to Kevin De Bruyne for his ability to take players on at speed and thread through inch-perfect passes, but Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman picked out Pedri as the player he sees him most alike to earlier this week.
He said: “I have to be careful with what I say, but I coached Pedri at Barcelona and I see a lot of similarities in Kees Smit.
“The changes of direction, the use of both feet, the game vision… these are things I observed in Pedri back then.
“If he reaches half of what Pedri achieved in his career, we’ll all be happy. The resemblance people see (with Pedri) is in how he positions himself and his decision-making under pressure.
“Big clubs follow players with these characteristics. That is normal. What is important is that he continues developing where he is, playing regularly.“