Time is running on sentiment.
Manchester United’s 2024-25 campaign has been a lesson in hard truths—too many false dawns, too few defining wins. Now, the club looks to the summer with intent. Caught Offside reports one name rising fast on their radar: Nico Paz.
The 20-year-old Argentine’s journey is layered. Once a prodigy in Real Madrid’s youth system, his path to regular first-team football was blocked.
Como offered him freedom, and he seized it, six goals, eight assists, and a mid-table finish in his debut Serie A season. It wasn’t just numbers; it was the manner, composure in the final third.
Real Madrid have an €8m buy-back clause as reported, but the promise of minutes matters more to Paz than the weight of the shirt. Los Blancos’ stacked midfield makes guarantees scarce.
United sense opportunity. The scouts are convinced, the interest real. Como, however, will not be easy to sway. With three years left on his deal and a valuation near £29m, the price will be steep.
Paz’s profile fits the rebuild: left-footed, versatile, able to glide past defenders in tight spaces, and stand strong at 6ft 1in. He can operate wide, centrally, or even drop deeper. In Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1, he could thrive as a roaming No.10, feeding off Cunha and possibly Bryan Mbeumo—if that deal materialises.
This is more than a signing. It’s a statement. United aren’t just patching holes; they’re sketching a new blueprint.
For Paz, Old Trafford could be the stage where potential sharpens into permanence.