Lazio turn down Al-Hilal bid for Nuno Tavares, denying Arsenal significant windfall
ROME, ITALY: Nuno Tavares of SS Lazio in action during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and Genoa at Stadio Olimpico on October 27, 2024. (Photo by Marco Rosi - SS Lazio/Getty Images)
Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images
Arsenal have missed out on a potential €10.5 million (£8.9 million) windfall after Lazio rejected a formal €35 million (£29.6 million) offer from Al-Hilal for Nuno Tavares, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The offer, made by the Saudi club as they look to strengthen at left-back, was rebuffed by Claudio Lotito, who is said to be holding out for a higher figure. Lazio’s president believes the valuation does not reflect Tavares’s market potential, particularly given the financial implications of a clause in the player’s contract that entitles Arsenal to 35 percent of any future sale.
That clause, inserted at the time of Tavares’s permanent transfer from Arsenal to Lazio for a reported €5m/£4.2 million earlier this year, would have seen the north London club receive just over £10 million had the proposed move gone through at the figure tabled by Al-Hilal.
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Bukayo Saka celebrates with teammates Emile Smith Rowe and Nuno Tavares of Arsenal after scoring their team's first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on November 27, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Instead, Lotito is understood to be seeking a record return on the player, factoring in the net value after sell-on deductions.
Tavares, 25, joined Arsenal in 2021 from Benfica, showing flashes of attacking quality but struggled for consistency under Mikel Arteta. After loan spells at Marseille and Nottingham Forest, he moved to Serie A, where his form has drawn attention from several clubs across Europe and the Middle East.
The rejection aligns with Lotito’s wider summer stance, with Lazio also turning down a £33.7 million offer from Bournemouth for Mario Gila, whose own contract includes a resale clause in favour of Real Madrid.
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