Representatives from Aston Villa were present at Genk's Europa League play-off. Manchester City's scouts were primarily observing Matte Smets, and also observed his teammates, 21-year-old Ecuadorian left-back Yaimar Medina and Zakaria El Ouahdi. It was also said that representatives from PSG, Tottenham, Man United, and Dortmund were in attendance. Medina has been capped four times for Ecuador. He joined Genk in January 2025 for a fee that was reported to be between €4.85 million and €5.0 million, and his current contract runs until 2029. In the 2025/2026 Jupiler Pro League season, he has made 20 appearances, providing one assist. Transfermarkt lists his current market value at €4.0 million.