Real Madrid’s Potential Midfield Deal ‘Threatened’ by Bayer Leverkusen | OneFootball

As Real Madrid near a deal for Franco Mastantuono, they could lose out on Nico Paz to Bayer Leverkusen.

Now that Los Blancos have already upgraded their defense with new signings Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen, they are in the market for a midfield reinforcement. While Como’s Paz and Bayer Leverkusen’s Angelo Stiller have been linked with the club, Real Madrid are now reportedly fully focused on signing 17-year-old Mastantuono from River Plate.

Should Real Madrid beat out Paris Saint-Germain for the talented Argentine, they will likely not sign another young midfielder this summer, leaving Paz up for grabs. The former Real Madrid Castilla talent enjoyed a stellar debut Serie A campaign in which he recorded six goals and nine assists in 35 appearances.

Kicker report Bayer Leverkusen is “showing great interest” in the 20-year-old midfielder. The German outfit see Paz as a potential replacement for Liverpool-linked Florian Wirtz.

Nico Paz was named Serie A’s Best U23 Player for the 2024– 25 season. / IMAGO/ABACAPRESS

Bayer Leverkusen would typically be unable to compete with Real Madrid for the midfielder, especially given Paz’s history with the Spanish giants. The midfielder came up through the club’s youth system and made 53 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla, as well as eight appearances for the first team.

Then, Paz transferred to Como for a €6 million ($6.8 million) fee last summer and inked a four-year deal with the Italian side. The contract features a buy-back clause that Real Madrid can trigger through 2027.

Recent reports indicated Los Blancos were indeed interested in bringing Como back to the Spanish capital to help the team replace Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Except now, their focus is on Mastantuono.

If the club no longer sees an immediate need for the 20-year-old, the door could be open for Bayer Leverkusen to swoop in and bring the Como breakout star to the Bundesliga. Real Madrid, then, would have to live with seeing another one of their Castilla products playing for European competition.