Real Madrid to activate Nico Paz buy-back clause within days despite election uncertainty

Real Madrid are set to activate their buy-back clause for Como midfielder Nico Paz within the coming days, even as a presidential election between incumbent Florentino Perez and challenger Enrique Riquelme puts most other club business on hold. According to Cadena SER, the deal will proceed as planned despite recent doubts over Paz’s return to the Bernabeu this summer.

The clause was built into the agreement when Real Madrid sold Paz to Como two years ago. The club chose not to exercise an €8m option last summer, but after Paz posted 19 goals and 15 assists across 75 appearances over two seasons in Italy, the decision was made to bring him back now. The clause became active earlier this week, and Real Madrid have approximately two weeks to trigger it — missing the window would force them to wait until next summer, when a reduced fee would apply.

The urgency around the Paz deal stands in contrast to the broader paralysis affecting the club’s planning. The appointment of José Mourinho as the next manager, which had been agreed in principle, is now not expected to be formally confirmed for a couple of weeks while the election is resolved.

Paz himself would reportedly have been content to remain at Como for another season, but is equally willing to return to Madrid if the club moves forward. At 20 years old, the Argentine playmaker has established himself as one of Serie A’s more eye-catching creative talents, and Real Madrid are treating his return as a priority that sits outside the political uncertainty surrounding the club’s leadership.