Arsenal in talks with Nottingham Forest over Nuno Tavares exit

The Portuguese defender starred on loan at Marseille last season but remains surplus to requirements under Mikel Arteta
Dom Smith16 August 2023

Arsenal have entered talks with Nottingham Forest as they try to offload left-back Nuno Tavares.

The Gunners signed the Portuguese defender from Benfica in 2021 for a fee of £8million.

After a run of games in the first team, he soon lost his starting berth under Mikel Arteta to Kieran Tierney.

Tavares spent last season on loan at Marseille. But despite impressing in France, Arsenal would consider selling him now if the right offer came up.

Forest, who Arsenal beat 2-1 in their Premier League opener last weekend, have now entered into more transfer talks with the Gunners after already signing goalkeeper Matt Turner from the Emirates in a £10m deal last week. Both loan moves and permanent deals are being discussed as options.

West Ham and Galatasaray both showed interest in Tavares last month, and Arsenal are thought to want around £22m if they sell him outright.

The fit-again Oleksandr Zinchenko, new signing Jurrien Timber, who is nursing a potentially serious knee injury suffered on his league debut against Forest, and Tierney are all ahead of the 23-year-old in the pecking order at left-back as things stand.

Surplus to requirements: Arsenal are willing to sell Portuguese left-back Nuno Tavares this summer
AFP via Getty Images

At Forest, Harry Toffolo and Omar Richards are currently the only natural left-backs in Steve Cooper’s first-team squad.

Meanwhile, Arsenal would also consider offers for both Nicolas Pepe and Tierney as they seek to decrease the size of their 32-man squad.

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