Como paid 60 million euros for 50% of Nico Paz’s rights, and Real Madrid kept an 80 million euro option to buy him back next summer. The deal lets Nico Paz stay at Como for at least one more season while Real Madrid keeps the door open to recover him later.
Real Madrid’s new terms
Real Madrid decided weeks ago to make money from Nico Paz this summer and told Como that the conditions agreed one year earlier had changed. If Como had not renegotiated, Madrid would have executed a nine million euro buyback clause, and the original option would have climbed to 10 million euros for the following season.
The timing was built around the accounts. Madrid wanted the money to count in the 2025-2026 financial year, so the operation had to be done before 30 June. On paper, the structure is simple: Como paid now, Madrid preserved a future option, and the player stayed where his role is bigger.
Como Keeps Nico Paz
Como first rejected the change in scenario and defended the agreement signed last summer. Cesc Fàbregas pushed internally for Nico Paz to be the player around whom the project should be built, and the club eventually accepted that logic by paying for half of his rights.
For Como, the move protects the absolute leader of the project. The club will play the Champions League for the first time in its history, and keeping Paz gives it a central attacking piece for that step up without forcing an immediate return to Real Madrid.
Santiago Bernabéu Next Summer
Paz did not see a return to Santiago Bernabéu this summer as likely. He wants to return to the club where he was developed when he feels truly important, and that was not the case now because of Mourinho, fierce competition in midfield, and Bernardo Silva’s arrival.
The numbers leave Madrid with control and a clear choice. If it exercises the 80 million euro option next summer after taking in 60 million euros now, the net outlay would be about 20 million euros. Will Real Madrid exercise that option next summer?
