Al-Ittihad are in talks to sign Nuno Tavares and multiple Serie A clubs are interested in Brooke Norton-Cuffy, potentially netting Arsenal some money in January.
Ryan Taylor reports for Football.London that talks between Nuno Tavares’ camp, Lazio, and Al-Ittihad are ongoing as the Saudi Pro League club look to negotiate a January transfer for the former Gunner.
Elsewhere, both Juventus and Inter Milan are reportedly monitoring Genoa’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy.
If either player makes a move in the winter window, Arsenal would profit, having included sell-on clauses in the two deals.
The exact value of the clauses is unknown, with little information available on Norton-Cuffy’s clause and wildly varying reports on Tavares’.
The percentage figure for Tavares has been reported as being as low as 25% or as high as 40%, depending on the source. Taylor’s report only states that initial suggestions put it at 25% but that Italian sources have since claimed it’s as much as 35%.
The reality is presumably somewhere within that 25-40% range. Considering Lazio had set a €40m (£34.9m) price tag in previous windows, a move could earn Arsenal €10m (£8.7m) or more.
As for Norton-Cuffy, the right-back’s transfer is perhaps a bit less likely than a move for Tavares in January. Genoa are struggling and only two points clear of Verona in the relegation zone, with Verona having a game in hand.
Genoa would presumably only sell Norton-Cuffy if they feel they can reinvest the money immediately on someone who would be likely to keep them up. Otherwise they won’t want to destabilise the team sitting so close to the drop.
But with Arsenal so unlikely to sell any first-team players in the January window, these sell-on clauses could still be the most realistic route to bringing some money in.