“I wouldn’t sell Nuno Tavares for €70m” says Lazio owner as Portuguese continues to shine | OneFootball

Nuno Tavares has been one of the revelations of the season so far across Europe, with the Portuguese left-back topping the Serie A assists charts with an astonishing 7 assist from 7 matches.

The Lazio man was Man of the Match against Genoa on Sunday, when adding two more assists in a 3-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico. The performance promoted owner and president Claudio Lotito to declare that the former Benfica man is practically unsellable.

When Tavares arrived in the Italian capital in the summer, he did so having been shunted around Europe by Arsenal following an unsuccessful move from Benfica. Tavares spent a season with Marseille in France before ending up under Nuno Espírito Santo at Nottingham Forest, where he was given just five starts during their battle against relegation.

In Italian football, the 24-year-old has seemingly found his home, with his rampaging runs from the left a feature of Lazio this season. “I feel more and more at home at Lazio,” he told O Jogo last month. “Fortunately, things are going well for me personally and collectively. I feel good with my teammates. It is good to have this understanding with them in such a short space of time. We can only improve. I am very happy to be here.”

Speaking after the victory over Genoa, which lifted Lazio up to 6th place in the standings, club owner and president Claudio Lotito was gushing over the Portuguese, who they will purchase on a mandatory basis for between €5m-8m at the end of the season depending on which bonus clauses are activated.

"I won’t sell Tavares, not even for €70m," said Lotito. "We've beaten off strong competition from the big clubs to sign the left-back in the summer."