Arsenal are the latest to express interest in 21-year-old Benfica left-back Nuno Tavares, who is also in demand by Napoli and Lazio.
The Gunners have tied first-choice Kieran Tierney to a new contract until 2026 but are keen to find some competition for him in the transfer market this summer, after allowing his only other left-back, Sead Kolasinac, to leave the club in January.
Talks have been held with Tavare’s agent / Carlos Rodrigues / Getty Images
The former Southampton man Ryan Bertrand was strongly linked with a move to the Emirates, but according to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal could choose to make a splash on a new left-back and is in talks with the agents of Benfica starlet Tavares.
The 21-year-old made his breakthrough during the 2019/20 season and ended the campaign as the team’s regular start, only to see his minutes limited last year.
Tavares is believed to be desperate to join Arsenal and fulfill his dream of playing in the Premier League, but a major setback is that Benfica are in no hurry to sell their young talent and are ready to demand a fee of around £ 15 million.
It’s a significant fee for a player who is likely to spend most of his time on the bench anyway, and with Arsenal planning so many signings this summer, they may not be able to free up the £ 15m needed to take Tavares to the Emirates.
Tavares is ready to give Arsenal time to consider a move and he will ignore all interest from Napoli and Lazio until he finds out of Gunnar’s true intentions, and the same stance has been taken by Anderlecht midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga.
Arsenal have failed with a £ 13m bid for Lokonga, which is expected to cost close to £ 20m. This money could be raised with the sale of Granit Xhaka to Roma, with that deal increasingly completed.
The team’s biggest splash of the summer is expected to come in midfield, where Arsenal are close to hitting a £ 50 million to bring in Brighton kid Ben White.
With so many other deals to take care of – a new goalkeeper, right-back and creative midfielder is also on the shopping list – finding £ 15 million to spend on a reserve full-back may end up being impossible.
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