- 6 hours ago
Arsenal 'accept bid' for defender - Romano
Arsenal have accepted a bid from Lazio for Nuno Tavares on an initial loan with an obligation to buy for around €7-8 million, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Portuguese left-back - who FootballTransfers’ Estimated Transfer Value algorithm (ETV) ranks at €7.1m - has dropped in the pecking order for Mikel Arteta and now looks to be heading to Italy.
He joined from Benfica three years ago and has spent the last two seasons with Marseille and Nottingham Forest.
Romano has said that Arsenal have negotiated a deal worth up to €8 million for the player.
🚨 Arsenal have ACCEPTED Lazio’s offer to sign Nuno Tavares on an initial loan with an obligation to buy for around €7m-€8m. Arsenal will also have a sell-on clause in the deal. ✅ [@FabrizioRomano] #afc pic.twitter.com/jOMZokjJ7X
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 10, 2024
The 24-year-old made just 28 appearances for Arsenal during his four years at the club. Despite a superb campaign with Marseille when he was on loan, Arteta never budged and the player could not find a way back in.
It contrasts William Saliba, who was sent on loan by Arteta to French clubs Saint-Etienne, Nice, and Marseille before coming back in and being one of the Premier League's best centre-backs.
Arsenal in for Eze
It comes after our story that Arsenal are showing interest in Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze this window.
We understand that the Gunners contacted his agents earlier this month to gauge his interest in a move to the Emirates.
No further contact has occurred between the parties or clubs since then but sources inform us that the attacker remains a target for Mikel Arteta.
READ MORE: 10 players who could join Arsenal this summer
We understand that Eze is hesitant to leave Palace for a club that cannot assure him first-team football, which could make a deal complicated.
Sources have also informed us that Liverpool have indeed expressed a concrete interest in the 26-year-old.
But the Reds will only pursue the possibility of signing Eze if they lose Luis Diaz to Barcelona or any other club this summer.
The Palace star is said to favour a move to Liverpool over Arsenal due to the latter's inability to guarantee him a starting spot for next season, whereas at Anfield he feels he could be a starter.