Arsenal left-back performs U-turn as Newcastle prepare raid

Jacque Talbot

• 25 Feb 2023 10:59 GMT
• 3 min read

Nuno Tavares has hinted that he may have a future with Arsenal yet, leaving the door open for Newcastle to make a move for Kieran Tierney.

The defender is out on loan at Marseille and is due back to the Emirates in the summer. The Portuguese left-back had previously expressed that he had hoped the Ligue 1 outfit would have added an option-to-buy on his deal, but his recent words suggest something of a U-turn.

“Everyone knows that I still have two years left with Arsenal on my contract,” said Tavares.

“We’ll finish the season. I’m here until the end of the season to reach our objectives with Marseille. I can’t tell you much more.

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“At the end of the season, I will return to Arsenal,” he continued. “I can’t say much more.”

It comes after the youngster threw his future at Arsenal in doubt by publicly stating that he wished his loanee club had the choice to make the move permanent.

“At Arsenal, I do not know if it was a problem of competition with Kieran Tierney, but for me, that’s not even the point,” Tavares told RMC Sport in September.

“I came to Marseille to finally be able to play in my position. When signing with Marseille, I wanted to have an option-to-buy, but Arsenal refused. With my agents, we always wanted this purchase option, but Arsenal didn’t.

Newcastle in for Kieran Tierney

Football Insider had suggested that Newcastle would be in for Kieran Tierney after the 25-year-old had dropped in the pecking order behind summer arrival Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Tavares’ brilliant form over in France compounds the uncertainty around the Scotland international’s future in north London.

Tierney, who the aforementioned publication says is valued around the £30m mark, is reportedly a target for the Magpies.

Dan Burn has been operating as a fill-in left-back this season as Matt Taregtt has been hampered by injuries.

Newcastle will certainly be in the market for another option at left-back, someone to compete with Targett or Burn.