Tottenham Hotspur are ‘preparing’ a massive offer for one of the best young playmakers in Europe, according to a report, as manager Thomas Frank and chairman Daniel Levy aim to bounce back from the bitter disappointment of missing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, but Real Madrid pose a major problem.
The injury to Kai Havertz saw Arsenal step up their pursuit of Eze and finalise a deal with Crystal Palace. Tottenham were growing in confidence this week of signing Eze, but the England international attacking midfielder is now on his way to bitter north London rivals Arsenal instead.
Tottenham are back in the market for a new attacker, with forward Son Heung-min having left for Los Angeles FC and playmaker James Maddison on the sidelines for the long term after suffering a knee injury in pre-season.
Earlier on Friday, it emerged that Tottenham were planning to bid for Como playmaker Nico Paz.
Paz left Madrid for Como in the summer of 2024 and was a success in Serie A last season.
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder scored six goals and gave eight assists in 30 Serie A starts in the 2024/25 campaign.
Paz made his debut for Argentina in October 2024, with the great Lionel Messi subsequently describing his maturity as “crazy and beyond his age”, adding that the youngster “has an impressive head”.
Fichajes has now reported how much Tottenham are ready to bid for Paz.
The Spanish news outlet has revealed that Spurs are ‘preparing an €80million (£69.3m, $93.8m) bid’ for Paz, adding that Juventus and Atletico Madrid are also showing interest in the former Madrid youngster.
Tottenham’s idea with the big ‘offer’ is to ‘convince Como and force Real Madrid to make a final decision’ on Paz’s future.
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Real Madrid are Tottenham’s ‘biggest obstacle’ for Nico Paz
According to Fichajes, Madrid are Tottenham’s ‘biggest obstacle’ in their quest to sign Paz.
Como are a modest club in Italy, and while manager Cesc Fabregas would love to keep Paz, an offer of €80m (£69.3m, $93.8m)would be too good to turn down for the Serie A outfit.
The problem for Tottenham is that Madrid have a 50% sell-on clause and also have the right to match any bids made for Paz.
Madrid have decided against activating their buy-back clause for Paz this summer, but they have a similar clause for 2026 and 2027.
Fichajes has noted that Madrid president Florentino Perez is a big fan of the Argentine ace and believes that he could star at the Santiago Bernabeu in the future.
Paz himself has spoken of his desire to return to Madrid one day, which makes it complicated for Tottenham to convince him to sign for Frank’s team, especially as Los Blancos have buy-back clauses in 2026 and 2027.
The Argentine star told AS on August 17 about a return to Madrid in the future: “You never know. I’m focused on Como, which is where I belong.
“I’m very happy and excited. I have no idea what the future holds, I don’t even know what I’ll do tomorrow.”
Latest Tottenham news: Chelsea threat, Savinho update
Tottenham have learnt that a playmaker that they would love to sign is more likely to end up at Chelsea than at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Rudy Galetti, has reported that Tottenham are ready to make a massive bid for Savinho, as the north London outfit seem determined to convince Man City to sell them the Brazil international winger.
Manchester United are hopeful that Tottenham will make a move for a winger that manager Ruben Amorim is desperate to offload between now and the end of the season.