Tottenham look to have lost the race for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze after rivals Arsenal mounted a late and successful transfer coup. But one of Spurs' next targets, Como's Nico Paz, was once dubbed 'the future of Real Madrid.'
Despite Spurs chief Daniel Levy hammering out a £60million package for Eze, their bitter north London rivals arrived on Wednesday evening with a £68m proposal. Thanks to executive vice-chairman Tim Lewis' relationship with Palace's Steve Parish, the Gunners thwarted their rivals, and Eze has chosen a move to the Emirates. Eze wishes to play one last time for Palace in their Conference League play-off on Thursday evening, but may be left out due to the risk of injury. Tottenham must now turn their attentions elsewhere, and ex-Los Blancos ace Paz is reportedly on their radar.
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After all but losing out on long-term target Eze, Thomas Frank's Spurs have moved on to other attacking midfield targets. They wish to strengthen this area because of injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, and the departure of Son Heung-min.
The Daily Mail reports that alongside Monaco dynamo Maghnes Akliouche, Como star Paz is on the club's shortlist. Paz was born in Tenerife and began his career within local academies before moving to Real Madrid's renowned La Fabrica in 2016.
He began life as a defensive player but slowly advanced up the field to take up a more attacking role. After making his B-team debut in 2022, Paz was handed his first professional bow for Los Blancos in the Champions League against Braga one year later. His first league appearance came soon after.
Yet, with fierce competition for attacking places, he sought a move in August 2024 and moved to newly promoted Serie A side Como for a reported £5.1million. He debuted for the club a day later and hit the ground running.
Real have a roughly £10.5m buy-back option for the youngster, and still own some of his economic rights. The club's former manager, Carlo Ancelotti, hinted that this clause may be activated in the future, which could make a deal difficult for Spurs.
Speaking to Rai Radio 1 last December, Ancelotti was asked about Paz and couldn't hold back his admiration, stating: "Paz is a player we follow a lot. He is really good. He's a great talent. This year of training away from Real is doing him a lot of good. We believe he is a player who can be the future of Real Madrid."
Paz was named Serie A Young Player of the Year in Italy last term. The 20-year-old made his Argentina debut against Bolivia in October 2024 and, after assisting the great Lionel Messi, had his praises sung once again.
"Nico Paz has an incredible mindset, and that's why he's where he is," Messi said after the 6-0 victory. "Nico has a lot of quality and understands the game perfectly. He has an incredible mindset, and he's with Cesc Fabregas [current manager of Como] as coach who is my friend and will help him grow a lot."