5 days ago
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Tottenham Hotspur are interested in Nico Paz but may have to pay up to £60million for the Argentinian wonderkid.
Paz joined Serie A side Como from Real Madrid last summer and impressed under manager Cesc Fabregas. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder scored six goals and provided nine assists in 35 league games, helping the newly-promoted club achieve a 10th-placed finish.
Spurs were already looking for a new No.10 before James Maddison suffered an ACL injury, which will see him miss most of the upcoming season. However, Spurs will have to pay more than Paz's current release clause to seal a deal for the Como star.
The Express reports that Como are hoping for a fee in the region of £60million for Paz. That would represent nearly £55m more than the £5.2m that Como signed him for last summer.
It was rumoured within Italian media that Spurs had seen a £35m offer rejected. However, the Athletic has reported that the club denies making a bid, while Como are said to be reluctant to sell.
Spurs face another obstacle in the form of Real Madrid, who have a buy-back clause in Paz’s contract. Xabi Alonso’s side chose not to activate their £6.9m (€8m) clause this summer, but the price will only increase to £7.8m (€9m) next summer and rise to £8.6m (€10m) in 2027.
Moreover, the Spanish giants reportedly hold a 50 per cent sell-on fee, pushing Como to increase Paz’s valuation. Madrid are also claimed to have the right to match any bid for their former academy prospect, which could hinder Spurs’ hopes of completing a move this summer.
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank will be keen to add attacking reinforcements after seeing Son Heung-min complete his move to LAFC, losing Maddison to injury and also having Dejan Kulusevski on the sidelines. Spurs have been linked with several No.10s this summer, including their failed pursuit of Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.
However, Paz has received a glowing endorsement from Lionel Messi, despite only being in the first few years of his professional career. On his international debut, Paz provided an assist for Messi during Argentina’s 6-0 win over Bolivia.
"Nico Paz has an incredible mindset, and that's why he's where he is," Messi said. "Nico has a lot of quality and understands the game perfectly. He has an incredible mindset, and he's with Cesc Fabregas as coach, who is my friend and will help him grow a lot.”
football.london understands that Spurs are priortising moves for an attacking midfielder and another centre-back. The club have signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham and sealed a loan deal for Bayern Munich midfielder this summer. Spurs have also signed Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso permanently.
The team signed off their pre-season schedule with a 4-0 defeat to Bayern Munich ahead of facing PSG in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday. In terms of adding to his attacking options, Frank admitted that the club would consider bringing in a forward to replace Son following his move to LAFC.
"Sonny was a key player for 10 seasons. He has left the club. We have both good young players in Mathys [Tel] and Wilson [Odobert] and they are really promising and can perform," Frank explained. "Brennan [Johnson] can also play that side. As I said, we are in the market. If we think we can find the right one, one who can improve the team, then he will be signed. If we can't, then not."
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