Three Premier League clubs — Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur — have entered the race for Como midfielder Martin Baturina this summer, turning what had been a bilateral negotiation into something closer to an open auction. Fàbregas's Como, fresh from a fifth-place Serie A finish on 68 points, have made clear they will not be rushed.
The significance is structural, not merely commercial. Baturina, 23, produced six goals and three assists across 28 Serie A appearances in 2025-26, carrying an average match rating of 7.10 — numbers that place him among the more productive central midfielders in the division for a side that finished with the league's tightest defensive record relative to their attacking output. An AI overall score of 75 with a projected ceiling of 85 tells you what the data models already believe: the peak is still ahead of him.
Fàbregas has not softened his position. The Como head coach has made clear he does not concede discounts, a stance that makes sense when you consider the club's trajectory. Como qualified for the Champions League, have already signed Andrés Cuenca from Barcelona and Matteo Liberali, and are pursuing Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah with a third offer. This is not a club selling its best assets to fund a rebuild; it is a club that believes it can retain and attract simultaneously.
The three-club interest from England does change the arithmetic, however. A bidding contest between Aston Villa, a Manchester club, and Tottenham — now managed by Roberto De Zerbi — compresses the timeline and removes Como's leverage to simply wait. Suwarso's previously stated €75 million floor now functions as the opening position in a live market rather than a theoretical one.
Baturina's profile fits what each of those clubs needs in different ways: the technical discipline for a possession-based system, the goal contribution to justify a midfield investment, and an age that makes the fee defensible over a long contract. Whether Como can hold the line on valuation while simultaneously reshaping their squad is the tension that will define the next few weeks of their summer.
The Croatian midfielder is not the only piece moving at Lago di Como — Vojvoda has already departed to Udinese — but he is the most consequential. How Fàbregas and Suwarso manage this moment will say as much about Como's ambitions as any signing they make.