Lazio eye loan move for Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares

Serie A club Lazio have registered an interest in forgotten Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares, according to Calciomercato.

The 24-year-old is one of several players the Gunners are keen to get off their payroll this summer, but potential suitors for the Portuguese defender are thin on the ground.

Tavares spent the last two seasons on loan after failing to establish himself under Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

He enjoyed a successful loan spell with Olympique Marseille during the 2022/23 season, scoring six goals in 39 appearances across all competitions at the Orange Velodrome.

Despite his performances, Marseille opted against signing him on a permanent deal, paving the way for Nottingham Forest to snap him up on a season-long loan last term.

However, Tavares failed to replicate his Marseille form at City Ground. He struggled to establish himself in the squad and was limited to just 12 appearances across all competitions.

Arsenal paid around £7 million to sign Tavares from Benfica in 2021, but a lack of interest in his services suggests they’ll struggle to sell him this summer.

Lazio are interested but the Serie A side do not have the financial capacity to complete a permanent deal and are instead weighing up the possibility of signing Tavares on loan.

However, the former Portugal Under-21 international has just one year left on his contract, so Arsenal are better off selling him on a permanent deal to avoid losing him on a free transfer next year.

Selling Tavares will help the Gunners free up additional space at left back, which is an area they want to strengthen this summer.

Arsenal are already edging closer to signing Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori. They’ve launched a £40m bid for the Italian, but Bologna are yet to respond to their proposal.

Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Fenerbahce full-back Ferdi Kadioglu, with Arteta eager to strengthen his defensive options this summer.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com