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Como have once again reiterated that Nico Paz is not for sale amid recent links with a move to Arsenal.
The Argentine wonderkid, once one of the most highly-rated prospects at Real Madrid, has been starring for Serie A new boys Como since joining from Los Blancos in the summer.
The promoted side have been able to spend freely on talent thanks to their wealthy backers and head coach Cesc Fabregas is keen to build a potential behemoth for the future.
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At present, however, Como are still coming to grips with the level of Serie A. While the club have struggled to get results, Paz has continually impressed, his five goals and four assists making him the second most productive player on the team behind only hometown hero Patrick Cutrone.
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder has attracted big-name suitors with his performances. Arsenal and Inter have been linked in recent weeks, while Real Madrid boast a buy-back clause and sell-on percentage, although Como are prepared to pay good money to get rid of the former.
Nico Paz not for sale
During the January transfer window, coach Fabregas made it clear that Como wouldn’t sell Paz even if a suitor put €50m on the table. This has now been echoed by club president Mirwan Suwarso.
“We have no intention of selling any of our players, at not least in the near future,” he told Calcio e Finanza. “Maybe in three or four years – because it would be naive to say that player sales aren’t part of the business. And we’re not short on money – we are well-backed.”
Suwarso hammers home the financial point by seemingly confirming reports that Como launched a €40m January bid for Milan left-back Theo Hernandez.
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“In recent days, we made an offer for one of the most important players in this league, but the club didn’t want to sell him. We also made an offer for another top player whose club had agreed to sell him, but the player himself didn’t want to come,” the president revealed.
Suwarso believes that developing young players like Paz and playing exciting football will help Como become a ‘premium football tourism destination.’
“The goal is to attract young, talented players who can play exciting football and support Cesc…Our aim is to build an attractive team so that when people come to watch us, they enjoy the experience. If we do things the right way, 60% of our new audience will come from tourists who suddenly discover that there’s a football club here.
“If they visit for the first time and we play with a low block and in a boring way, they will never be interested in Como. Our goal as a company is to become the world’s leading football tourism destination. If you want to be a premium football tourism destination, then the football itself needs to be fun and exciting.”
