Serie A club Lazio have agreed a deal to sign Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares on loan, with an obligation to buy him for £5.9 million included in the deal, according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla.
The Gunners initially wanted £8.45m as the buy clause, but Lazio insisted on £5.9m as the contract of the Portuguese expires in 2025, and both clubs have struck a deal.
However, the Italians are yet to reach an agreement with Tavares’ agent, but that is expected to be sorted out today.
The 24-year-old is not in the plans of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta having spent the last two seasons out on loan.
The former Portugal youth international was at Nottingham Forest last season but has returned to the North London club to resume training ahead of the new season.
However, Tavares will not be playing for Arsenal again and is set to reunite with his former teammate Matteo Guendouzi at Lazio in the coming days.
The French midfielder played a key role in his decision as they established a close relationship during their time together at Arsenal and Marseille, where they played together in 2022-23.
Tavares joined the Gunners in July 2021 from Benfica, playing in 28 games across all competitions before falling out with Arteta.
He angered the Gunners boss due to his furious reaction after he was withdrawn after 34 minutes in an FA Cup game against Forest in January 2022, and while he still played 20 games afterwards and was also involved in pre-season action heading into 2022-23, it appears Arteta had had enough.
Tavares also fell out with Marseille manager Igor Tudor following a feud, which led to a permanent move being shelved despite his return of six goals in 39 appearances in France.
While Tudor moved to Lazio in March 2024, he resigned at the end of the campaign and was replaced with Marco Baroni, paving the way for Tavares to complete his move.
