Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly keen on signing Como star Nico Paz, as per Caught Offside.
The Blues have been looking to add depth to the creative midfield position since last summer. After being linked with numerous names, they decided to sign Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion.
However, he struggled to break into the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge before leaving in January. Currently, Liam Rosenior has Cole Palmer as the only No.10 option.
Having displayed impressive performances over the last couple of years, he hasn’t been at his best this term, with persistent fitness problems being one of the key reasons.
Therefore, Chelsea are seemingly planning to purchase a new CAM this summer to create competition for the England international.
Caught Offside claim that Rosenior’s side hold a long-term interest in Paz and have made contact to learn about the details of signing him. Apart from the West London club, Arsenal and Manchester City are also in this race.
Like Chelsea, the Gunners and the Citizens have held talks to enquire about the deal. However, Paz is keen on returning to Real Madrid, and the Spanish giants are open to bringing him back.
Battle
Despite already having Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, Los Blancos are planning to build around their future with the game’s next big thing and believe that Paz is the ‘next superstar’.
The report claim that the Argentinian is likely to become a £87m player very soon, but Real Madrid have the buyback clause of just around €9m, having sold the player to Como for around €6m a couple of years ago.
Paz is a technically gifted left-footed creative midfielder, but is also efficient in providing cover on the right flank if needed. Arsenal currently have Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze as No.10 options, while Ethan Nwaneri is set to return from his loan spell in the summer.
However, Odegaard has struggled with fitness problems this season. As a result, it appears Mikel Arteta has already started exploring options to sign a new midfielder.
Paz has shown glimpses of his qualities in Serie A and would have been a great coup for Arsenal or Chelsea had either club managed to secure his services.
