Aston Villa are now the latest club to be linked with a move for Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares, following the collapse of his transfer to Nottingham Forest.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Unai Emery’s side are keen on signing the left-back, who is not in Mikel Arteta’s plans.
The 23-year-old spent last season on loan at Marseille, where he made 39 appearances, and was strongly linked with a move to Forest. However, this deal collapsed yesterday, but other clubs are interested.
Romano has now claimed that Aston Villa are exploring a move for the Portuguese defender, but nothing has been agreed yet.
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“After deal collapsed with Forest, Aston Villa are exploring conditions of deal to sign Nuno Tavares from Arsenal,” he tweeted.
“Personal terms not discussed yet — as up to the clubs now. Nuno, alternative option to Marcos Acuna deal with Sevilla for Villa.”
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What should Arsenal do with Tavares?
It is clear that the left-back should leave. Although he did show promise at times in his season with Arsenal, he still has plenty of work to do before he can reach the level required to break into the team, and the club cannot guarantee any opportunities given that they are now challenging for the title.
Given that there is interest in him, Arsenal can expect to make a profit on the £8m they paid for him two years ago, and with Villa now keen on a move, this is the perfect time to sell.
A loan deal would not be ideal, given that Tavares has two years left on his deal, and his value may therefore never be higher than it is now. He was described as “fantastic” by his Marseille coach Igor Tudor, and there is a chance that he can develop into a solid Premier League player under Emery.
Arsenal have made slow progress on outgoings, but making a profit on Tavares would represent good business from Arteta and Edu Gaspar.