**Manchester City are in the race to sign Como and Argentina attacking midfielder Nico Paz, as per a new report.**
The Blues are not expected to be as active in the January 2026 window as they were in the summer, when Hugo Viana marked his appointment as Manchester City’s director of football with a significant revamp of Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, James McAtee and Scott Carson all left permanently as Jack Grealish, Manuel Akanji, Vitor Reis, Claudio Echeverri and summer signing Sverre Nypan were sent on season-long loans.
City are undergoing a period of transition with a new-look dressing room as they look to challenge on all fronts this season in the backdrop of their most challenging season under Guardiola, wherein the Blues finished in third place in the Premier League, exited the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage and lost the FA Cup final.
The goalkeeping department also witnessed upheaval as James Trafford was brought back from Burnley – two seasons on from the Manchester City academy graduate’s exit – and Marcus Bettinelli was signed from Chelsea to replace Carson.
Viana received huge plaudits for his shrewd acquisitions of Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki from AC Milan and Lyon respectively to mitigate the loss of De Bruyne, who was not offered a new contract by the Manchester City board and joined Napoli on a free transfer in June.
However, Manchester City left it late in the window to make their most impressive signing as they secured the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain for a cut-price £26 million fee as Ederson was allowed to complete his desired move to Fenerbahce.
City sit in second place in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Liverpool, with the Blues also in pole position to qualify for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 stage after claiming an important win over Borussia Dortmund in midweek.
As reported by [TBR Football](https://tbrfootball.com/chelsea-launch-nico-paz-enquiry-but-real-madrid-remain-firm-on-tottenham-target/), Manchester City are keeping tabs on Como and Argentina attacking midfielder Nico Paz, who has also attracted strong interest from Liverpool and Chelsea ahead of the January 2026 transfer window.
Paz’s boyhood club Real Madrid, whom he left in 2024 to join Como, are likely to dictate the 21-year-old’s future owing to the existence of several clauses in the playmaker’s current deal at Como, including an eye-watering £40 million buy-back clause.
Tottenham have previously expressed a desire to sign Paz but Real Madrid are keen on bringing their former player back to the Spanish capital, with the midfielder impressing under Cesc Fabregas and going from strength to strength in the Serie A.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool are possible destinations in England should Paz not return to the Santiago Bernabeu next summer, with the Premier League trio closely monitoring the Argentina international’s club future.