Arsenal transfer news: Concern for Real Madrid as Gunners 'identify' £60m star as 2027 target

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Como midfielder Nico Paz during next summer's transfer window.

Mikel Arteta's side have made an unbeaten start to the defence of their Premier League title over the past few weeks, securing top-flight wins over Coventry City, Aston Villa and most recently Chelsea.

Surprisingly, the Blues were in front at the Emirates Stadium within two minutes on Sunday afternoon when Morgan Rogers found the net, however, strikes from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard completed a comeback for the hosts.

After collecting a maximum of nine points from three Premier League contests, the North Londoners are on the road at the beginning of this week to face Italian giants Napoli in the Champions League.

Given the squad depth in the hands of head coach Arteta right now, the Spaniard could rotate his entire midfield and still field stars such as Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Bruno Guimaraes.

Arsenal join Real Madrid in Paz pursuit?

According to Bernabeu Digital, Arsenal have entered the race for the highly-rated Paz, who is set to depart his current employers Como in Italy before the start of the 2027-28 campaign in 12 months' time.

The report claims that the Premier League champions want to add the talented 22-year-old to their attacking-midfield options next summer, supporting the likes of Odegaard and Eberechi Eze.

It is understood that Real Madrid are keen on bringing Paz back to the Bernabeu, where he managed eight first-team appearances for Los Blancos before a permanent switch to Como in 2024.

It is believed that the 15-time European champions possess a £60m buy-back clause for the Argentine - a stipulation that Real Madrid have full intention of triggering after the end of this season.

That being said, there is supposedly a chance that Arsenal, Real Madrid and Como could all negotiate a form of compensation for the player that would allow him to move directly from Italy to North London in 2027.

Paz's Champions League chance

In his second full campaign at Como, Argentinian wizard Paz was a key player, scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists across all competitions as the Italian club reached new heights.

Cesc Fabregas's troops finished fourth in the Serie A standings and subsequently qualified for this season's Champions League, in which they will face off against Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

Clashes against some of Europe's best teams will afford Paz the chance to impress on the biggest stages this season before a likely switch to either Real Madrid or Arsenal next summer.