Italian giants Juventus have emerged as surprise contenders to sign Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares after it was reported that they were 'targeting' the Portuguese.
Tavares, 22, is currently out on loan with French side Marseille following the summer signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City in north London. The left-back position is one that provides plenty of options for Mikel Arteta with Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu also available, meaning minutes would have been hard to come by for Tavares.
The loan move handed the former Benfica man a chance to rediscover his form that convinced the north Londoners to pay £6.8 million for his services in July 2021. Last campaign, he struggled on a number of occasions including his infamous moment in the East Midlands when he was dragged off at 35 minutes in the FA Cup final defeat to Nottingham Forest.
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After numerous performances resulted in Arsenal supporters calling for him to start ahead of Tierney at left-back, his form dipped towards the end of the campaign and his defensive frailties became exposed. A loan move in one of Europe's top divisions was deemed the best pathway for the defender, rather than warming the bench at the Emirates.
This season has been more of a success story for Tavares at Marseille with a number of fine performances. With three goals scored in 19 appearances, Tavares played every minute of Les Phoceens' Champions League group stage fixtures and has only missed one league game due to a yellow card suspension.
After drastically improving in France, reports from Sky Sports transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio have claimed Serie A side Juventus are 'targeting' Tavares ahead of the January transfer window. The Old Lady currently played a 3-5-2 (more of a 3-5-1-1) formation under Massimiliano Allegri and often deployed a left-back at left midfield.
Filip Kostic has been Allegri's number one choice in the position this season, but competition is required following Mattia De Sciglio's injury at the start of October. It’s also worth mentioning that Kostic is 30 and is set to feature for Serbia in the World Cup this month.
Tavares has played as left wing-back for Igor Tudor's side this season in almost every game, often replicating Kostic's positioning and threat down the left like a left winger. Whilst it remains unclear whether Tavares will fancy a move to the Allianz Stadium for further competition, it could be a deal the Gunners are keen on to expose their man to extended competition in Europe.
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