Among the best-performing players in Europe since the start of the season, Nico Paz is the dream of many of the continent’s heavyweights. But a three-figure sum in millions (more than £85m / €100m) will undoubtedly be needed to sign the Argentina international.

Nico Paz was the star of the show as Como thrashed RC Lens 9-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday. A key figure for the Italian side for three seasons, the Argentine number 10 lit up the game with his talent, scoring one goal and providing two assists. In his last five outings, the 22-year-old has even accumulated five goals and five assists.

Unsurprisingly, the best clubs on the planet are battling to secure his services and one of them has a competitive advantage: Real Madrid. Real Madrid hold a buy-back clause of £68m (€80m), included when he was sold to Como in 2024 for £56.1m (€66m). It cannot, however, be activated before next summer.

A three-way battle to sign Nico Paz

Real Madrid are therefore the favourites to bring back their former player at such a price, while other European giants will probably find it harder to compete.

It is easy to imagine that Como will not sell their star cheaply and will ask for at least £85m (€100m) to let Nico Paz go to another club. That sum seems too high for Barcelona, who have not spent such an amount since 2019, when they signed Antoine Griezmann.

Because of the sanctions that still threaten the club, Manchester City also appear to be out of the running for now. Their rivals Manchester United, meanwhile, have clearly lost some of their lustre and would probably be less attractive in the eyes of the Argentine.

PSG and Chelsea lurk as alternatives

A transfer to Paris Saint-Germain cannot be ruled out, given that the double reigning European champions have the means to pull out such a big sum. Furthermore, the playing philosophy put in place by Luis Enrique would probably appeal to the Argentina star.

The Premier League also remains an avenue to consider. While Liverpool have Florian Wirtz in this role, Chelsea, for their part, are not afraid of stacking up talents (and expensive transfers) and, despite the presence of Cole Palmer, it would not be so surprising to see Chelsea join the race.

For now, Real Madrid appear to be in pole position to sign him in the summer of 2027, but this saga could heat up in the coming months if Nico Paz continues to perform this well.