Arsenal have been in contact with the representatives of Benfica left-back Nuno Tavares according to reports, with one claiming a 5-year deal is ‘agreed in principle’.

Vitria SC vs SL Benfica Guimares, 19/05/2021 - Nuno Tavares and Ricardo Quaresma. Photo: Miguel Pereira / Global Imagens
Vitria SC vs SL Benfica Guimares, 19/05/2021 – Nuno Tavares and Ricardo Quaresma. Photo: Miguel Pereira / Global Imagens

According to Di Marzio (via Fabrizio Romano), Arsenal have joined Napoli and Lazio in making contact with Nuno Tavares’ agents for a summer move. Benfica are reportedly asking for around €15-17m to sell the left-back.

Di Marzio suggests Arsenal would be willing to shell out the €15m required to complete the signing. Napoli offered €12m plus Mario Rui, but Benfica refused the offer as they want the full amount in cash.

Fabrizio Romano adds that Arsenal are in direct contact with the 21-year-old’s agents, and Tavares’ priority is to join the Gunners as he dreams of a future in the Premier League. As a result, it’s all up to Arsenal now.

Jornal de Noticias report that Arsenal already have an agreement in principle with Benfica, and the player will sign a five-year contract. They add that Napoli and Southampton were also interested, but Arsenal are set to formalise the deal imminently.

Interestingly, Portuguese outlet A Bola report that Tavares’ transfer to an English club could be announced very soon, though they report a very different fee of just €8m.

It’s probably safer to assume the worst and expect that Arsenal will need to pay at least €15m (£12.9m) for Tavares.

The Portuguese left-back made 25 appearances for Benfica in 2020/21, and he was in and out of the team due to competition from Grimaldo. He would be joining as a back-up to Kieran Tierney, following Tierney’s contract extension.