Chelsea are reportedly stepping up their interest in Como star Nico Paz, with scouts watching the 22-year-old Argentina international game after game following his stunning two-goal display in the 4-1 Champions League win over Manchester United on Wednesday night.
According to reports in Italy, carried by Sports Mole, Chelsea are described as being hot on the trail of the attacking midfielder. Como, however, are in no mood to sell cheaply: the Italian club are expected to demand at least €100m (£90m) from any suitor other than Real Madrid, who retain a buy-back option on their former academy player.
The Night That Changed the Conversation
Paz was the outstanding player on the pitch as Como humbled Manchester United 4-1 at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. He scored twice and provided an assist, directly involved in three of his team's four goals, in a performance that drew comparisons in the American press with Lionel Messi — the New York Times labelled him Messi's Argentina heir on Thursday morning.
Whether or not that comparison is fair, the numbers behind it are real. Paz has had a hand in nine goals in ten appearances this season, and his display against United was the kind of Champions League performance that turns monitoring into intent. Chelsea, fourth in the Premier League under Xabi Alonso, have built their project on identifying elite young talent early — and Paz now sits firmly in that bracket.
Chelsea Are Watching, Game After Game
Sport Witness, reporting the same Tuttomercatoweb claims, says Chelsea sent scouts to watch Paz impress against Fiorentina at the weekend — a 3-1 Como win in which he scored and assisted — and also had representatives at the Champions League tie against Feyenoord in Rotterdam. There is every chance, the report adds, that the Blues also had emissaries present for the United game itself.
The plan, as reported, is to keep assessing him game after game before deciding whether to make a formal move. Chelsea are not alone in having tried before: Tottenham Hotspur attempted to sign Paz in 2025 and were priced out, while Como worked hard to secure his permanent transfer from Real Madrid. Under Cesc Fabregas, Paz has become the key figure in one of Serie A's most exciting young sides over the past two seasons.
The Real Madrid Problem
The complication in any deal is sitting in Madrid. Real retain a buy-back option reported at €80m (£67m), exercisable in the summer of 2027 — a figure well below the €100m-plus Como would demand from Chelsea or anyone else. That gives Madrid effective control of Paz's future: they can bring him home at a discount, or their clause shapes the price and the timing for every other bidder.
For Chelsea, that means this is unlikely to be a quick January-style raid. It is a long game: monitor him all season, stay close to the situation, and be ready if Madrid hesitate or if Como's valuation and Madrid's clause ever leave a window open. Como, for their part, have never given discounts on their best players — and a Champions League campaign built around Paz only strengthens their hand.
So What Does It Mean?
If Paz keeps producing nights like Wednesday's, his price does not come down — it goes up, and so does the queue. Chelsea's scouting presence now is about position, not panic: when a player of this profile moves, the deal is usually won by the club that did the work a year earlier. The risk is obvious too. Madrid's buy-back makes Chelsea the outsider in a race they do not control, and €100m for a player with one elite European season behind him would test even Clearlake's appetite.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Chelsea scouting Nico Paz is smart, but scouting is all it can be while Real Madrid hold an €80m key to a €100m door. Paz destroyed Manchester United on Wednesday and announced himself to every big club in Europe at once — if Chelsea really want him, they will have to outmanoeuvre Madrid, not just outbid Como, and that is a very different kind of transfer battle. Is Paz worth £90m, or should Chelsea walk away and let Madrid take him home? Tell us in the comments.
