Arsenal to complete 25yo’s sale in early June with 40% sell-on clause | OneFootball

Lazio plan to sign Nuno Tavares permanently in early June and may immediately sell him on, a move that could net Arsenal as much as £19m in total.

Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images

Arsenal are expected to finalise the permanent transfer of Nuno Tavares to Lazio in early June, according to Corriere dello Sport, despite the player’s ongoing injury struggles.

The 25-year-old has endured a difficult campaign in Rome, suffering seven separate muscular injuries since the start of the season, including hamstring and adductor issues.

Most recently, Tavares left the pitch in tears during Lazio’s Europa Conference League tie against Bodo/Glimt on April 17 after lasting just 26 minutes.

It was his third injury setback in a month.

Even so, Lazio remain committed to activating the €5 million purchase clause agreed with Arsenal as part of the original loan deal, and with good reason – Tavares is now valued at around €25m, despite his problems. There is an expectation that the move will be formalised early in the summer window.

The Serie A club’s intent is to secure the player’s registration before entertaining potential offers from elsewhere.

Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images

Despite Tavares’ inconsistent availability, he has featured in 28 games (with nine assists) but missed 17, Lazio continue to value him as an asset. The club’s wider plans reportedly include restructuring their defence and selling players such as Luca Pellegrini, Adam Marušić and potentially Manuel Lazzari.

Tavares could either be retained or quickly sold on for profit.

According to reports in Il Messaggero, Lazio would be open to selling the Portuguese left-back for €35-40 million. Who wouldn’t be? That would be a significant windfall not just for the Italian side, but also for Arsenal, who included a 40% sell-on clause when negotiating the initial loan.

The Gunners initially signed Tavares from Benfica in 2021 for under £7 million. If Lazio secure a sale at their asking price, Arsenal stand to receive in the region of £19 million.

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

The move to Lazio was meant to offer Tavares the stability he lacked at Arsenal, but his recurring injuries have made that difficult. With seven injuries this season alone, his ability to stay fit remains a heavy question mark.

As Corriere dello Sport noted, Lazio are weighing not only whether Tavares can stay, but whether he can be relied upon physically going forward.

For now, all signs point to the deal with Arsenal going through, and then, possibly, to another quick move for a player whose career has already seen him play for five clubs in the last four years.