Lazio triggered their option to buy Tavares but may immediately sell him on for profit, activating a 35% sell-on clause that could hand Arsenal a quick financial boost.
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
Nuno Tavares has completed a permanent move to Lazio, but the Serie A club are already actively looking to sell the Portuguese full-back, with Arsenal set to benefit financially from any transfer.
The 25-year-old was officially announced as a Lazio player earlier this week, with the Italian club confirming they had “permanently registered the footballer Nuno Albertino Varela Tavares, coming from Arsenal F.C. The footballer has signed an employment contract until June 30, 2028.”
The fee is believed to be around £4.2 million (€5m), payable in instalments over five years.
That figure, however, is just a starting point. Lazio are expected to sell Tavares quickly for between €20m and €40m (he’s valued at €25m), and Corriere dello Sport report that any sale would trigger a 35 percent sell-on clause for Arsenal.
Tavares joined Arsenal from Benfica in 2021 for a fee of around £7 million. He made 28 appearances for the club and scored once, against Manchester United in April 2022, but defensive inconsistency undermined his chances under Mikel Arteta, and a series of loan spells followed.
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
A strong campaign at Marseille in 2022–23, during which he scored six goals in 39 games, was followed by a stunted season at Nottingham Forest, where injuries restricted him to 12 appearances. He joined Lazio last summer and appeared to revive his career, registering nine assists in 30 matches and earning a senior debut for Portugal in a 5–1 win over Poland in November 2024.
But the second half of the season again brought injury problems. Tavares suffered three separate muscular issues between November and April and did not feature in the season’s final weeks. His final appearance came in a brief and unsuccessful return against Bodo/Glimt, where he was forced off after just 26 minutes.
ROME, ITALY: Nuno Tavares of SS Lazio during the SS Lazio training session at the Formello sport centre on October 17, 2024. (Photo by Marco Rosi - SS Lazio/Getty Images)
Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images
Despite that, Lazio chose to activate their purchase option early because they knew there was profit to be made. Now, with Fiorentina again linked, the club are weighing up options at left-back. Tavares is expected to be sacrificed to finance other moves, with reports in Il Messaggero suggesting the player has already been placed on the market.
For Arsenal, the transfer marks the end of a brief and frustrating relationship.
Tavares leaves having never quite lived up to his early promise. Signed for his explosive athleticism and attacking instincts, his lapses in positioning and tactical discipline proved too costly.
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