Real Madrid academy graduate Nico Paz has been a rousing success as the center piece player in Cesc Fabregas’s Como underdog story, and his status as the best player in Serie A has piqued Real’s interest in bringing him back.
But it also piqued the interest of Inter Milan in signing him as a dream target away from under Real’s noses, as the Serie A leaders are getting a front row seat to Paz dismantling Italian defenses.
Recently, Paz had dinner with Inter Milan legend and current Vice President Javier Zanetti, which fanned the flames and speculation of a surprise move to the Nerazzurri instead of the Real Madrid move everyone was reporting.
According to Mario Cortegana of The Athletic, though, it looks like people were, once again, jumping the gun. Per Cortegana, Paz’s dinner with Zanetti was not recruitment or an official dinner of any sort: it was merely a family dinner with friends.
Cortegana confirmed that the plan all along is still intact for Paz to return to Real Madrid this summer. How Real accommodate all of Franco Mastantuono, Paz, Arda Guler, and Brahim Diaz in the same team remains to be seen, but it is clear that Paz has been better than all of them.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.