Nuno Tavares, a 21-year-old left-back, is expected to join Mikel Arteta’s side for £6.8 million. Mikel Arteta’s team is looking for a new left-back to give support and competition for Kieran Tierney.
According to numerous reports in the last few days, Nuno Tavares is reportedly close to completing a transfer to Arsenal after reaching an agreement with Benfica.
On Wednesday, the Athletic and Goal reaffirmed that the overall value of the agreement, including add-ons, will not surpass €10 million (£8.6 million).
According to Goal, the original fee is £7 million, plus £1.5 million in bonuses if specific conditions are reached during Tavares’ tenure with Arsenal.
Now, according to Portuguese journalist Goncalo Lopes, Tavares came to London on Thursday to complete his Arsenal medical, as he prepares to become the Gunners’ first summer signing.
During Tierney’s injury-plagued absences, Arteta was forced to use Cedric Soares or Granit Xhaka at left-back, while Sead Kolasinac is reportedly slated to quit the club after falling out of favour.
Tavares made his Benfica debut against Arsenal in the Europa League last season, and he is likely to leave the Portuguese champions after making 41 appearances since signing as a 15-year-old in 2015.
Tavares will be quarantined for ten days, but if he tests negative again after five days, he will be released.
This would allow him to participate in the Edinburgh training camp, which would start off Arsenal’s pre-season schedule.
Arsenal’s Resurrection Strategy
Arsenal could spend heavily this summer, with Mikel Arteta potentially being backed to the tune of £250 million to rejuvenate his squad.
The Gunners have fallen far short of expectations in recent years, and will enter the 2021/22 season with no European football on the horizon, as a result of a disastrous Premier League campaign last season.
Many aspects of the team need to be strengthened, but Arsenal’s left-back position is particularly deficient. Kierney has committed to the club until 2026 after signing a new five-year contract, but Arteta doesn’t have many other obvious options if something happens to the Scot.
During 2020/21, Cedric Soares, Granit Xhaka, and Bukayo Saka all filled in on occasion, but Nuno Tavares of Benfica might be the long-term solution as Arsenal began talks about a possible relocation to the Emirates Stadium.
Are you unfamiliar with the 21-year-old? That’s highly possible considering that he’s not yet a major star, but there are some intriguing pieces of information regarding Tavares to be aware of.
Here’s 90min’s best bits for you to read up on.
Nuno Tavares, Who Is He?
Tavares made his professional debut for Benfica’s B team in 2018, however he isn’t a straight graduate of the club’s academy.
Instead, he spent three years honing his skills at Sporting CP, split between stints with Casa Pia, a second-tier team headquartered in Lisbon.
Benfica signed him in 2015, but it took another three years for Tavares to make the step up to the senior team.
Tavares is a natural left-back, but he can play anywhere across the backline like other current footballers.
He does, however, greatly favor his left foot, thus when he’s played on the right wing for Benfica, he’s inclined to cut inside to get forward.
He can also play centrally if need be, and is particularly good in the air for diagonal cross-field balls, at 6′ tall.
Before moving up to the Under-21s in 2019, he made 22 appearances for Portugal in the Under-18 and Under-19 levels.
However, he faces competition for a starting spot in the senior team, with Raphael Guerreiro and Nuno Mendes among the players vying for a slot.