Atalanta Very Close to Signing a Deal for Arsenal Left-back Nuno Tavares

Nuno Tavares, Atalanta, Olympique Marseille, Arsenal

According to reports in Italy, Atalanta are edging closer to completing a loan deal for Arsenal left-back Nuno Tavares. The 22-year-old defender has attracted interest from quite a few clubs but the Serie A club are being touted as the frontrunners for his signature.

Previously, Atalanta were interested in signing Nuno Tavares on a permanent deal, but were put off by the high asking price set by Arsenal. Olympique Marseille also expressed interest but the French side and the player couldn’t reach an agreement. Brighton & Hove Albion have also enquired about the defender but the Italian club remain closest to signing the player.

The 22-year-old left-back appeared 28 times for the Gunners in all competitions last season (stats via Transfermarkt). The Portuguese covered well for Kieran Tierney who spent a good chunk of the last season sidelined through injuries. Tavares only did the bare minimum and rarely impressed the fans or the manager Mikel Arteta with his performances. However, a club like Arsenal will need more than just ‘doing the minimum’.

Nuno Tavares, Arsenal, Atlanta — Image obtained via TEAMtalk

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano first reported last week that talks were ongoing between the two clubs for a loan deal. The Italian journalist stated the player being keen on securing a move to Italy and the Gunners would be making a decision this week.

Thereafter, according to Gianluca di Marzio (via Daily Cannon), the Serie A side were edging closer to finalising a loan deal with the Gunners for the Portuguese left-back. However, there are still some details to be worked out before the deal is completed.

The North London side are said to be willing to let the player leave on a temporary basis. Moreover, with Arsenal having already secured the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, Arteta will not be majorly concerned about the defender leaving the club for a year.

Now, as reported by another Italian journalist Luca Bendoni, Atalanta have reached an agreement in principle with Nuno Tavares for a season-long loan deal, but are yet to agree a deal with Arsenal to finalise the move. The Italian club want a loan move that will include a buy option, whereas the Gunners don’t. Therefore, the move is currently stalled.

Nuno Tavares deal, update. Atalanta reached in the last days an agreement in principle on the player side, but agreement with Arsenal has *not* been reached. 🔴⚪️ #AFC

Atalanta want to include buy option, Arsenal don't – deal now stalled.

— Luca Bendoni (@LucaBendoni) July 26, 2022

Nuno Tavares did show a few glimpses of his talent in the few appearances he made last season. The Portuguese international enjoys going forward and contributing to the attack. However, some have questioned his mentality to reach the top level. A move away from the high-pressure Premier League to Serie A might help him gain some calmness that his skillset requires.

Based on those few glimpses of talent, the 22-year-old has attracted the interest of a number of clubs. Even Arsenal are aware of his potential and so are not willing to include the buy option in his loan deal with the Italian side. More importantly, Tavares will get more game-time at Atalanta than what he was supposed to get at the Emirates..

Why Arsenal Do Not Want To Include The Buy Option In The Loan Deal For Nuno Tavares?

Nuno Tavares has displayed his quality on a few occasions before. The 22-year-old Portuguese shined when playing against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. In fact, Tavares’ only goal for Arsenal last season came against Manchester club. Although the Red Devils were playing poorly, it shows that Tavares is more than ready for opponents outside of the top-six in the Premier League.

The full-back needed only 28 appearances to generate this kind of interest from the other European clubs. The Gunners will not revisit the sight of letting go of an excellent left-back to a rival team. Arsenal are aware that the defender will be of use to them in the near future. The North London club may even handle Tavares in a similar way to how they approached the William Saliba situation.

Kieran Tierney has been riddled with long injuries in the previous seasons. If the 25-year-old Scottish defender fails to maintain fitness in the upcoming 2022/23 season, then Arsenal will now have Zinchenko to address this problem. The Gunners were smart to add a player like Zinchenko to the squad. He is hard-working, technically sound and has enough quality to fill in for Tierney.

Arsenal currently have William Saliba who is as good as a new signing. The club loaned him out for three years continuously, resulting in Saliba not playing a single competitive match for Arsenal since his arrival in 2019. However, he is currently one of the best young centre-backs in Europe and Arsenal could replicate the same with Nuno Tavares.

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