Manchester United have received a blow in their quest to sign Nico Paz, with a report revealing Real Madrid’s stance on the Como playmaker, whose long-term ambition has also come to light.
Paz has been a revelation for Como since his move to the Italian club from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window. The Serie A outfit paid the defending Spanish and European champions a transfer fee of around €6million (£5m, $6.5m) with Los Blancos having a 50% sell-on clause.
Madrid also included a series of buy-back options in Paz’s contract. The Spanish powerhouse will be able to re-sign the Argentina international for a fee of €8m (£6.7m, $8.7m) this summer, for €9m (£7.6m, $9.8m) in the summer of 2026 and for €10m (£8.4m, $11m) in the summer of 2027.
Paz has scored six goals and given five assists in 23 Serie A starts so far this season for Como, who are being managed by former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
The 20-year-old has already made his debut for Argentina, with the great Lionel Messi describing his maturity as “crazy and beyond his age” in October 2024, adding that the young attacking midfielder “has an impressive head”.
Paz’s excellent performances have led to Man Utd showing a keen interest in him, but the Red Devils have been told in no uncertain terms that a deal this summer is not going to happen.
According to TBR, Man Utd have been actively following Paz’s progress this season and have been hugely impressed with the playmaker.
However, Madrid have made it clear that they will not let the youngster join any other club this summer and plan to bring him back to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2026.
Paz’s representatives have informed Man Utd of the decision made by Madrid.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have also shown interest in Paz, but the two north London clubs have been given the same response.
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Nico Paz stance on his future
On paper, Man Utd could make a bid for Paz in the summer transfer window and tempt Como into a sale.
However, Madrid could just exercise their buy-back clause and bring the Argentine star to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Moreover, Paz himself is said to be keen on returning to the Spanish and European giants in the future.
According to TBR, ‘Paz’s ambition is still to make it with Real Madrid, so he is happy to go along with their wishes at this point – despite the interest from other clubs’.
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IN PROFILE: Who is Nico Paz?
By Samuel Bannister
The son of Pablo Paz, a member of Argentina’s World Cup squad in 1998, Nico Paz was born in 2004 on Tenerife. He soon started honing his own skills as a footballer, developing in the CD San Juan academy before signing for Tenerife – one of the clubs his father used to play for – in 2014.
Two years later, still not yet a teenager, he was snapped up by Real Madrid to develop in their academy. By January 2022, aged 17, Paz was ready to make his debut for Real’s reserve team, the first of 53 appearances for the Castilla side (for whom he would score 10 goals).
Along the way, his form caught the attention of Carlo Ancelotti, who gave him his first-team debut for Madrid in a Champions League match in November 2023. While also juggling his Castilla duties, in what would be a breakout year, Paz went on to make eight senior appearances under Ancelotti, scoring his first and only goal for the club just three weeks after his debut.
But with competition for places high in his preferred position of attacking midfield – not that it is the only role he has ever played in – Paz was sold to ambitious and high-spending Serie A newcomers Como in the summer, where he has been developing under the tutelage of Fabregas.
A senior debut for Argentina – who had already previously named him in their preliminary World Cup squad in 2022, when he was yet to even make his first-team debut for Real Madrid – was awarded in October and he marked the occasion by setting up a goal for a certain Lionel Messi.
A tactically smart playmaker in his own right, Paz stands out for his ability to cover vast territory in midfield and set up chances with through balls and dribbles, making him something of the full package. And standing at over six feet tall makes him even more of a handful for his markers.
Fabregas has been deploying him as a connector between the holding midfielders and striker in his Como system, although the left-footed Paz is a flexible and versatile kind of attacker.
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