Aston Villa have received a boost in their pursuit of Nuno Tavares with the Portuguese’s agent set to agree his departure from Arsenal.
The left-back, 23, is expected to leave the Emirates Stadium before the September 1 deadline with Villa having registered their interest. Villa manager Unai Emery remains in the market for a new left-sided full-back following an injury to the club’s top target, Marcos Acuna, while playing for Sevilla.
With Acuna’s availability uncertain, Villa are expected to turn their attention towards Tavares as an alternative option. It appears that their interest could well materialise into a concrete move as there are plans to speed up a decision regarding his future.
According to Sky Sports (via BirminghamLive ), Tavares’ representatives have arrived in London for talks with Arsenal – and these discussions are expected to result in his departure from the Gunners this month. While Villa are mentioned as one of the interested clubs, they may have to beat off some competition to sign him.
Nottingham Forest held talks with Arsenal over Tavares earlier in the summer. However, negotiations broke down with the club unable to agree on a transfer fee.
The report states that Tavares’ next destination is likely to be a club in England. It is claimed the player, who joined Arsenal from Benfica for £8million two years ago, is available either on a permanent basis or initially on loan with a purchase clause included.
Tavares spent last season on loan at Marseille in France, making 39 appearances for the Ligue 1 side. He has two years left to run on his contract with the Gunners but hasn’t made a competitive appearance for the club since May 2022.
Emery has so far made four additions to his squad this summer. Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby arrived on permanent deals while Nicolo Zaniolo joined on loan.
Former Arsenal boss Emery said last week: “Of course, we have to be responsible, we are trying to be smart in the transfer window, to be in the right way. We are working on it, for now and for the next transfer windows and for the season. We are trying to complete the best squad possible for now.”
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