Arsenal
Arsenal set to unveil 1st signing: Fee & wages agreed, player in London, medical done
Left-back Nuno Tavares is in London and should complete an £8.5m move to Arsenal from Benfica this week
Nuno Tavares is expected to complete his move to Arsenal this week after an £8.5m deal was agreed with Benfica, according to the Evening Standard.
Mikel Arteta is in the market for another left-back to support Kieran Tierney as Sead Kolasinac is set to leave the Emirates Stadium on a permanent basis having spent the second half of last season out on loan at Schalke.
Tavares emerged as a prime target with widespread reports suggesting Arsenal have identified the Portuguese youngster as the player they want to act as back-up for first choice left-back Tierney next season.
After weeks of negotiations, the Evening Standard says Arsenal finally agreed a deal with Benfica that could be worth £8.5m including add-ons and Tavares was given the green light to travel to London over the weekend to finalise the move.
The 21-year-old is now in quarantine as per UK Government guidelines but the newspaper says the deal should be wrapped-up later this week once Tavares is given the all-clear to leave his isolation.
A Bola, via Sport Witness, reported on Friday that Tavares had already completed his medical in Lisbon before travelling to the UK and Fabrizio Romano says personal terms over a five-year deal have been agreed.
Therefore, everything seems to be in place for Arsenal to announce the transfer shortly and Tavares should be able to travel with his new team-mates on their pre-season tour of Scotland next week.
As long as there are no last minute complications, Tavares should become Arsenal’s first major signing of the summer window and he could prove to be an excellent long-term addition to Arteta’s squad.
The 6ft defender is an attack-minded left-back who’s strong in the air and good with the ball at his feet so he’s got a bright future ahead of him. Tavares will act as understudy to Tierney next season and most likely gain experience in the domestic cups.
He won’t be the only arrival at the Emirates this summer as Arteta is expected to be extremely busy overhauling his squad with Albert Lokonga and Ben White reportedly among his prime targets.
