Decision soon on "fantastic" Arsenal & Chelsea transfer target Nico Paz, says Florentino Perez | OneFootball

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has spoken out on the future of Nico Paz amid transfer interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.

The 21-year-old has shone during his time in Serie A with Como, and Real Madrid are set to bring him back to the Bernabeu via a buy-back clause.

As we previously reported on the Daily Briefing, Paz has been pursued by Arsenal and Chelsea, though his first choice was always to return to Real Madrid.

Discussing Paz’s future, Perez admits that the talented young Argentine has a lot of interest from top clubs across Europe, but that he and the club’s management will make a decision on his future soon…

“Nico Paz is one of those great players who came through our youth academy and is now being pursued by major European clubs. He had a fantastic season with Como in Italy. We’ll make the decision with the manager and the coaching staff,” Perez said, as quoted by journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Nico Paz would be an exciting signing for Arsenal or Chelsea

It looks like Paz has a big future in the game, and it’s not necessarily clear if he’ll be going back and being a key part of the Real Madrid squad.

Even if it previously looked like that could be on the cards, one imagines Perez refusing to commit to that will give the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea hope over a potential deal.

It’s an important summer for Chelsea after finishing trophyless and in 10th place in the Premier League in 2025/26, so their fans will hope to see the club strengthen with a genuine top talent like Paz.

The Blues tend to prioritise top prospects like this, but Paz is a step up from some of the other recent signings they’ve made in that area of the pitch, with vast sums spent on flops like Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens.

Arsenal, meanwhile, could also do with adding some spark and creativity to their attacking midfield department, with Martin Odegaard’s recent injury record and general loss of form looking like a serious concern.

Paz looks more than good enough for big clubs like this, and it’s also easy to imagine him having an impact back at Real Madrid, so it will be interesting to see how this saga develops in the weeks and months ahead.