Arsenal are now close to completing the loan of Nuno Tavares to Atalanta, seemingly without an option to buy in the contract.

Following rumours of a possible Nuno Tavares move to Atalanta in the last few weeks, Gianluigi Longari reported on Tuesday that the Serie A club were pushing to accelerate a move, holding a new meeting with Arsenal.

Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) report that Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini sees Tavares as a key addition to their team. Alfredo Pedulla added that an intermediary is in London to complete a deal.

Following those reports, journalist Abdellah Boulma added on Wednesday that the deal was almost complete. Despite discussion around an option to buy, it seems the eventual transfer will just be a straight loan.

Fabrizio Romano previously reported that Arsenal would make their final decision on a Tavares deal this week. For Tavares’ part, he’s keen on the move, it was just a case of deciding whether or not to include a purchase clause.

Negotiations with Marseille reportedly ended last week, with the previous talk of progress on a deal denied. Brighton also made enquiries, but Atalanta are at the front of the queue.

Atalanta director Lee Congerton has been in charge of negotiations, having previously admitted his admiration for Tavares.

“I’ve followed Tavares since he was playing for Benfica’s youth team, he’s a strong player,” Congerton said in June. “But Tavares is under contract with Arsenal – and it’s really difficult to sign players from Premier League clubs.”

Arsenal have signed Oleksandr Zinchenko to add to their options at left-back, with Kieran Tierney already at the club.