According to Football Insider, Lazio are set to keep Nuno Tavares beyond the current season and sign him permanently from Arsenal. The defender’s loan deal with the Serie A side includes a purchase obligation dependent on certain conditions, and it appears the Serie A outfit are open to sealing the deal with the Gunners.
Nuno Tavares has no future at Arsenal as Mikel Arteta has been abundantly clear the 25-year-old forgotten wide man does not feature in his plans. Following a decent debut season with the Gunners in 2021/22, when the Portuguese full-ba k made 28 appearances across all competition, the club decided to send him out on a series of loans.
In his second season with the club, Tavares made a big impression on loan at Marseille, scoring six times in 31 Ligue 1 games. He then followed that up with an underwhelming spell with Nottingham Forest, although the latest spell at Lazio has proved to be a big hit for all parties concerned.
Unlike his spell at Marseille, Tavares has proved his worth more as a creator from his left-back position at Lazio. He has nine assists across 28 appearances in all competitions, which has earned him plenty of plaudits. Yet, Arteta has decided the 25-year-old forgotten wide man is not part of his plans going forward, with Lazio now set to seek a permanent transfer for the Portuguese star.
Tavares’s loan deal included a buy obligation dependent on certain conditions, and it appears Lazio are open to the prospect. Some reports stated Lazio were thinking about selling Tavares for a huge fee later amid interest from some Premier League sides. As for the fee, Arsenal did include a buy option worth £12 million when he joined Nottingham Forest, as one might assume it’s very similar to that with the Italian giants.
Arsenal are bracing for offers from clubs for some of their fringe stars, especially those out on loan. They did block Kieran Tierney’s move to Celtic in January, but the left-back is expected to make a return to his old side. Fellow left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is also expected to move on after an underwhelming season, as teenage sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly is now their starting player in the position.
There’s also Albert Sambi Lokonga, who has had a productive season with Sevilla, with the Spanish side eager to keep him permanently. Other La Liga sides like Atletico Madrid and Real Betis are also keen on the Belgian midfielder, as a decision could be made on his future during the summer. Lokonga and Tavares joined in the same window as promising young stars but barely managed to make an impression on Arteta.
