Arsenal have been warned why Brighton and Hove Albion could pull the plug on any proposed loan deal for Nuno Tavares. The 22-year-old defender has been heavily linked with an exit from the Emirates Stadium this summer after falling out of favour under Mikel Arteta.
Tavares, who only arrived in north London 12 months ago from Benfica, started just 13 times for the Gunners in the Premier League this season. And, despite his fluctuating performances, the Portugal youth international has courted the attention of several top-flight European clubs.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Atalanta are eager to sign the left-back on loan this summer. However, the Italian side face tough competition from the Seagulls.
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It's said that Atalanta are pushing to complete a deal but there is currently no agreement in place, with the door wide open for Graham Potter to swoop in. However, Brighton owner Tony Bloom is said to not be keen on loan deals, leaving Arsenal with three options; keep Tavares at the club, send the defender to the Serie A on loan or cash in on a move to the Amex Stadium.
The Seagulls' former technical director Dan Ashworth, now at Newcastle United, explained why club owner Bloom is not a fan of signing players on loan. Speaking to The Athletic in October, Ashworth said: "Tony Bloom, the owner, and chairman, has never been keen on incoming loans. We’ve only done one since I’ve been here. That was Aaron Mooy. It was a loan with an option to buy, it was late in the window and we needed another midfield player.
"We always knew he was a really good player, we really liked him, tracked him for a while. Huddersfield had been relegated, so they got him off their wage bill and Aaron was a proven Premier League player.
"Loans are really good if you haven’t got a transfer fee, a good way of getting a good player. You don’t have that long-term obligation and, as you get towards the end of the window, if you’ve got a last-minute need or injury (they can come in)."
Tavares, who sees his contract at the Emirates Stadium expire in 2025, is valued at around £25.5million by CIES Footballl Observatory. Now, it's up to Edu, Arteta and the Arsenal entourage to decipher as to what the best plan of action is.
The growing saga regarding the Portuguese defender's future puts the Gunners in the driving seat, with Edu likely able to ignite a bidding war. And, if all else fails on the transfer front, Arteta still has an understudy to Kieran Tierney in the ranks.
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