Arsenal want to cash in on 23-year-old talent Nuno Tavares this summer, just two years after his arrival in north London, it has been reported.
The Portuguese defender arrived from Benfica for a fee of £7m in 2021 but suffered a tough first season in the Premier League.
Despite some bright moments, he was twice substituted before the second half began and offered performances littered with mistakes that blurred his raw talent.
The arrival of Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer saw him pushed further down the pecking order, and he was sent out on loan to Olympique Marseilles.
However, a bright start to his temporary stint in Ligue 1 fizzled out and he started just one of the last 8 league games for the French side.
That didn’t prevent boss Igor Tudor revealing just how highly he thought of the defender though.
‘He could play at Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester City.
‘There are other things he needs to improve. He must progress, we often talk. There’s always room for improvement, we’re here to help. We make him see concrete things to improve.’
However, according to inews Arsenal are ready to let the 23-year-old leave permanently as they look to balance the books, following a massive spending spree that is expected to see Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber join Kai Havertz as new faces in north London this summer, a trio that will cost in excess of £200m.
They add that Arsenal are looking for a fee of around £8m for the defender, who has two years left on his current deal in north London, and that West Ham are one of the sides keen on the Portuguese U21 star as they look to find cover for Emerson Palmeiri and the ageing Aaron Cresswell.
Turkish side Galatasaray have also expressed an interest, but the defender is ‘keen to stay in England if possible’, perhaps handing the Hammers a much needed advantage in the race for his signature.
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