Tottenham and their chase for a new number 10 has taken another turn, and it involves La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid.
Earlier this week, some very promising news for Spurs supporters emerged through information that Daniel Levy is now actively pursuing a deal for Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze.
The 27-year-old, who racked up 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season, has been a top target for Arsenal in the last few weeks, but Mikel Arteta's north London rivals now pose a serious threat to their deal after opening talks with Palace.
Insider Paul O'Keefe was first to sniff out the development on Tuesday morning, and a plethora of reliable media sources have since confirmed that Tottenham's move for Eze is a very realistic possibility.
The prospect of Spurs signing both Eze and Man City winger Savinho to fill the gaping voids left by James Maddison's long-term injury and Son Heung-min's departure to LAFC is a very exciting one, but as we've seen with the Lilywhites this summer, deals are rarely straightforward.
Tottenham were on the verge of bringing in Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest earlier in the window, and had been ready to trigger his past £60 million release clause before a scheduled medical last month.
However, Forest's legal intervention ceased any chance of Thomas Frank welcoming Gibbs-White to N17, with the 25-year-old since putting pen to paper on a brand-new £150,000-per-week contract.
Levy and technical director Johan Lange will be hoping history won't repeat itself with Eze amid stiff competition from Arsenal for the midfielder's signature, and Tottenham reportedly have Como starlet Nico Paz as an alternative.
AC Milan's Theo Hernandez in action with Como's Nico Paz
Gianluca Di Marzio reported last week that Tottenham had a £35 million offer rejected for Paz, but it is reported that the Argentine is still on their radar as a potential option to fill Maddison's shoes.
Real Madrid thwart Tottenham discussions for Como starlet Nico Paz
Paz's situation at Como is a complicated one, as he's sort of unofficially still a Real Madrid player.
Xabi Alonso's side have full matching rights on any deal for him, a hefty 50 per cent sell-on clause and even possess a buy-back option worth just £8 million for the summer of 2026 and £8.5m for 2027 (Football Italia).
nico paz-1
Therefore, the 20-year-old's future is firmly in Real's hands, and they've now made it clear that the attacker's long-term place is in Spain.
That is according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who told TBR Football that Real Madrid have stepped in to thwart Tottenham's discussions for Paz.
“Spurs are one of several clubs, via various channels, that have asked about Nico Paz, but Real Madrid have stepped in to make it clear that his future is in the Spanish capital," said Bailey.
“In theory, Spurs, or indeed other interested clubs, could have secured a loan-type deal as Como have, but that does not appeal given there would be little to no chance of a permanent deal if he performed well.”
Paz, valued at £60m, racked up six goals and nine assists in 35 Serie A appearances as a key man under Fabregas last season, but it is evident that Eze is Tottenham's standout best option as things stand.