With James Maddison injured, Spurs may have found a talented replacement - but could Chelsea get there first?
For a little while, Tottenham Hotspur’s summer seemed to be going according to plan. They hired an excellent head coach, made a statement signing in Mohammed Kudus, and generally looked to be getting their transfer business done early for once. Then, James Maddison went down injured and it all went wrong.
Maddison’s ACL injury, which is expected to keep him sidelined for most if not all of the 2025/26 season, wasn’t the first misstep (that would be the abortive pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo) but it might be the most impactful. Spurs have lost their only natural number ten and their team’s creative heartbeat.
Dejan Kulusevski can deputise there effectively, but the Swede is injured too, and Thomas Frank will likely want him on the wing anyway – so Spurs need to find a replacement for Maddison, quickly. As it happens, some media sources think that a target has already been identified. The problem is that Chelsea could get in there first…
Could Chelsea hijack Spurs’ transfer bid for Nico Paz?
The player in question is Nico Paz, a 20-year-old attacking midfielder with Como who was born in Spain and emerged from Real Madrid’s youth academy, but who plays for Argentina at international level.
Gianluca Di Marzio was among the first journalists to suggest that Spurs had made a bid for Paz, who was hugely impressive in Serie A last season, although it was also claimed that their opening offer of €40m (£35m) had been rejected – and that Como were holding out for something closer to €70m (£60m).
Now, just a day later, Caught Offside are among the outlets suggesting that other teams could be interested as well. Manchester United are mentioned but seem unlikely to have £60m spare to spend on yet another attacking midfielder, leaving a link with Chelsea to look rather more plausible.
As it stands, Chelsea are primarily focused on securing the signature of RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, a slightly more proven player who would command a similar fee – but acquiring Paz would fit their transfer model ideally.
Chelsea hoover up talented young players who will hold their value for the long term and that seems likely to be the case with Paz, who moved to Como from Real last summer and left an immediate and indelible impression, earning his first three national caps along the way, setting up a Lionel Messi goal on his debut.
There is, as yet, no suggestion that Chelsea have made an offer but with Spurs and Como poles apart in their valuations at the start of negotiations, there may well be time for them to come in – if they have enough money left themselves.
Chelsea want to sign Simons and Alejandro Garnacho, while an ACL injury sustained by Levi Colwill could force them to search for a new centre-back as well. Their transfer funds could be stretched too thin for them to make a run at Paz this summer – but if the budget allows, such a move would certainly be in character.
The biggest barrier to a deal with either Chelsea or Spurs is, curiously, Paz’s former employers in Madrid. Real inserted a 50% sell-on clause into the deal which took Paz to Como, and that’s currently forcing the asking price right up. Como are supposedly trying to buy the clause out, but have yet to succeed.
As a result, Spurs may well be forced to look elsewhere for their last-minute Maddison replacement simply due to the costs involved, but the interest in Paz appears to be genuine and Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici would love to get a deal over the line if at all possible. Whether the financial hurdle is too tall – or whether Chelsea spoil the party – remains to be seen.
How much might Nico Paz be worth this summer?
Ordinarily, for a player to justify a transfer fee which could rise as high as £60m, they would have to be capable of having an immediate and considerable impact. Most 20-year-olds don’t fit that description. Paz might.
The Argentine scored six goals and registered eight assists in Serie A last season, a thoroughly respectable return for a mid-table team at any age, and the statistics behind his performances were hugely impressive.
His precise passing range and excellent first touch and technique stand out – not only was he accurate and excellent in one-on-one situations against defenders, he was able to generate 4.82 shooting opportunities per 90 minutes for his team-mates (a very high number) while taking 3.65 shots per game himself.
Paz excels at finding room for himself and seeing it for others, and roamed quite freely from his assigned midfield position to find pockets of space in which to operate and pick out his crisp passes.
He isn’t especially fast or a reliable or regular dribbler, which means he may not be so well-suited to teams looking to spring quick counter-attacks, but his work rate off the ball means that he’s effective in the high press and he forces far more turnovers than most attacking players can claim to.
The price tag of £60m factors in his likely room for continued improvement, of course, but it’s also worth comparing the outlay to that already spent on Kudus, who totalled six fewer goal contributions in the league despite playing an even more aggressive and forward-thinking role for West Ham.
Paz isn’t just a scintillating prospect but a fine player right now. There’s no wonder that Spurs are keen to sign him if they can bridge the financial gap with Como – and equally no surprise that Chelsea might just barge in and take him first.
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