19 Jun 2026 16:05 BST |
4 min read
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has told Como that if they want Nico Paz to remain at the club next season, they will have to sign him.
Paz has been one of the standout players in Serie A since joining Como in 2024. Over his two seasons with Cesc Fabregas’ side, he has scored 18 league goals and added 14 assists, helping them to the Champions League for the first time.
The widespread expectation had been that Real Madrid would exercise a buy-back clause in Paz’s Como transfer agreement that would see him head back to the Bernabeu in a deal worth €6 million.
In recent days, though, the situation has started to change. Paz, 21, has made it clear that he would prefer to stay in Italy and play regularly rather than have to battle Real Madrid’s Galacticos for first-team minutes.
Now it has been confirmed that Los Blancos’ position on a deal has also changed.
Di Marzio reports: “In the last few hours, a clear position has emerged from Madrid and sources close to Jose Mourinho: the Special One has given the green light to the 2004-born player’s departure, fulfilling his explicit desire for a change of scenery.
“The message sent to Como is clear: if they want the player, they must acquire him, without repeating loan-style deals or solutions like those seen this year.”
Paz is Como’s player, but Real Madrid control his destiny
Technically, Paz is Como’s player, signing for them on a permanent basis in 2024.
Real Madrid, however, effectively retained control over his future in return for ‘selling’ him at a price that was below his market valuation at the time.
Los Blancos’ retain a €10m buyback option on the player, which they can execute before 30 June.
Mourinho’s side have told Como that they only way to stop them doing this is via a payment of €60m, according to Corriere dello Sport, which brands Paz a ‘global sensation’.
The Italian source reports that Paz remains focused on Argentina’s World Cup campaign but that his agents are now working out a way to have the playmaker remain with Como, who cannot afford the fee that Madrid are demanding.
It is a situation complicated by what the Italian report describes as ‘a tangle of clauses’, Real Madrid want to resolve the issue and gain “a significant profit”.
What is Nico Paz worth?
Nico Paz has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €64.5 million, making him the fifth-most valuable player in Serie A.
In demanding €60m from Como, Real Madrid are effectively asking the Italian club to top up the transfer fee they sold him for two years ago to the player’s current valuation.
The manner in which that deal was structured was heavily in favour of Los Blancos, and it appears they will soon get their payoff – even if Mourinho has no intention of using him back at the Bernabeu.
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