Marseille want to sign Arsenal’s Nuno Tavares on a permanent deal, but Nottingham Forest are currently refusing to let the player go.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Marseille are still trying to sign Nuno Tavares this month, with Arsenal open to the player’s permanent transfer to France.

But Nottingham Forest are proving problematic, as they’re insisting on keeping the player until the summer.

There’s no recall clause in the deal, so all three parties would need to come to an agreement for Tavares to join Marseille.

One factor that should help any potential negotiations is Arsenal’s upcoming game against Forest.

Tavares will be ineligible for the match, meaning that after Friday’s FA Cup tie against Bristol City, his full focus until next Wednesday’s deadline can be on his transfer situation.

Getting the people in charge at Arsenal and Forest in the same ground for a few hours is a bonus too.

Tavares has recently returned to the Nottingham Forest starting lineup, following a disappointing start to the season on loan.

The left-back seemed to fall out of favour under Steve Cooper, picking up an injury before dropping out of the squad completely on his return, but things have turned around under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

Whether it’s ‘too little, too late’ for Tavares at Forest remains to be seen, but it’s worth remembering that Forest have a purchase option in Tavares’ deal.

They may still take a long-term view of the player’s situation and refuse to part ways with him while they assess a permanent deal of their own.