Kees Smit has been one of the hottest players of the summer transfer window, but AZ want to keep him long-term. The AZ club continues to negotiate a long-term deal with Smit. The 20-year-old midfielder has been the subject of much talk of a potential top-flight transfer. Smit's current contract with AZ is for two years and he has been linked with several top clubs in Europe. At the end of last season, after AZ's cup win, Smit announced that he could stay at AZ for a year. He told Rodi Media, 'I think I can stay in AZ for another year.' 'Am I optimistic? Hope is not very valuable in football,' said technical director Niels van Duinen at a press conference on Wednesday. 'Kees expressed his feelings here and I read that too. I see it as a positive. We have already discussed this matter with him.' 'I think we will all be very happy if Kees can play here again next season,' added Van Duinen. 'We are discussing together. But yes, there's a World Cup going on and the market hasn't even started yet. We all know what is being said and written, so we need to see how it evolves.
