Player dubbed 'future of Real Madrid' now Tottenham's focus after Eberechi Eze rejection

Tottenham appear to have missed out on Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, but one of their next targets, Nico Paz, was once hailed as 'the future of Real Madrid.'

Despite Spurs chairman Daniel Levy putting together a £60million deal for Eze, their fierce north London rivals came in late on Wednesday evening with a £68m offer. Thanks to the strong relationship between Gunners executive vice-chairman Tim Lewis and Palace's Steve Parish, Arsenal managed to outmanoeuvre their rivals, and Eze has opted for a move to the Emirates.

Eze hopes to make one final appearance for Palace in their Conference League play-off on Thursday evening, but may be sidelined due to injury risk. Tottenham must now shift their focus elsewhere, and impressive ex-Real Madrid player Paz is reportedly on their radar.

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Having all but lost out on long-term target Eze, Thomas Frank's Spurs are now looking at other attacking midfield options. They aim to bolster this area due to injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, and the departure of Son Heung-min.

The Daily Mail suggests that, along with Monaco dynamo Maghnes Akliouche, Como star Paz is on the club's shortlist. Born in Tenerife, Paz started his career in local academies before moving to Real Madrid's famed La Fabrica in 2016.

He started out as a defender but gradually moved forward into more offensive positions. Following his B-team debut in 2022, Paz earned his maiden professional appearance for Los Blancos in the Champions League clash with Braga twelve months later. His inaugural league outing followed shortly afterwards.

Alas, facing intense competition for forward positions, he pursued a transfer in August 2024 and joined newly-promoted Serie A outfit Como for a reported £5.1million. He made his debut for the club the following day with immediate impact.

Real retain an approximately £10.5m buy-back clause for the youngster, whilst also maintaining partial ownership of his economic rights.

The club's former boss, Carlo Ancelotti, suggested that this provision might be triggered down the line, which could complicate any potential deal for Spurs.

Speaking to Rai Radio 1 last December, Ancelotti was questioned about Paz and couldn't contain his praise, declaring: "Paz is a player we follow a lot. He is really good.

"He's a great talent. This year of training away from Real is doing him a lot of good. We believe he is a player who can be the future of Real Madrid."

Paz earned the Serie A Young Player of the Year award in Italy last season. The 20-year-old made his Argentina bow against Bolivia in October 2024 and, after providing an assist for the legendary Lionel Messi, received further acclaim.

"Nico Paz has an incredible mindset, and that's why he's where he is," Messi said after the 6-0 victory. "Nico has a lot of quality and understands the game perfectly.

"He has an incredible mindset, and he's with Cesc Fabregas [current manager of Como] as coach who is my friend and will help him grow a lot."