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| 사진=365스코어스 |
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| 사진=세리에 |
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Real Madrid is calling, but Tottenham can't stand out.
The Athletic in the U.S. shed light on why Niko Pas, a top prospect in Argentina, rejected Tottenham's interest on the 13th (Korea time). Since joining Italian club Como1907 from Real Madrid in August 2024, Nico has seen his ratings rise sharply, while the 21-year-old has also received Tottenham's attention this summer. However, Argentina's national team Nico seems to be making a return to Real in his mind. Real have considered invoking his buyback clause this summer, and also hold additional options for 2026 and 2027, the report said.
Nico, who was born in 2004, is a promising player who grew up in Real from a young age. The potential was highly evaluated, but there was a limit to securing steady playing time in the first team. In the end, he headed to Comoros in 2024 for more opportunities, and Real were confident of his potential for growth and included a buyback clause in his contract that could be reintroduced.
This choice hit the nail on the head. Nico quickly established himself at the heart of the team and proved his worth last season by winning the Young Player of the Year award, which is given to the best prospect in Italy's Serie A. The stock price soared further as he was also selected for the Argentine national team.
The team that tried to recruit Nico, who has emerged as a top Serie prospect, was Tottenham. The club made Nico its top goal in the process of finding offensive resources to succeed Son Heung-min. The proposed amount is 70 million euros (about 114.1 billion won), which will be the highest transfer fee in Tottenham's history. If Nico accepted the offer, it is likely that Xavi Simmons' move to Tottenham would not have been made in the first place. In other words, Tottenham planned to leave Nico to Son Heung-min's symbolic number of No. 7.
But the final decision was with Nico. He politely rejected Tottenham's offer. The reason is that it was possible to return to Real. The Athletic said 'Nico had an impressive first season in Italy during the 2024-2025 season (six goals and nine assists in 35 games). This has made the Real board seriously consider bringing him back this summer,' he explained.
However, Real decided it was too early this summer and recommended Nico stay. The Athletic said Nico's return to Real did not happen for two reasons. Nico only wanted to return under the condition of taking on an important role and still needed the approval of new manager Xavi Alonso. Alonso said he appreciated Nico's qualities, but he felt it was not the right time and that reinforcement of other positions was a priority.
Real are believed to have convinced Nico that they will someday invoke the buyback clause. Finally, Diathlon said 'Nico's goal is to return to Real. That's why he ignored the interest shown by several clubs, including Tottenham and Inter Milan, this summer. Real have never forgotten Nico and are watching his progress very closely. It is very likely that he will be brought in next summer,' he added.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
