Arsenal allowed Nuno Tavares to leave the Emirates on a third successive loan spell in the summer.
After spending seasons with Marseille and Nottingham Forest, Serie A side Lazio decided to take a chance on the Portuguese defender back in July.
Unlike previous loans, though, the Italian club have an obligation to buy Tavares at the end of this campaign.
The 24-year-old was not part of manager Mikel Arteta’s plans and the purchase clause was just over half what they paid Benfica for the player back in 2021, with TMW reporting that Lazio are due to pay just €5m (£4.2m) to secure his signature.
The Arsenal loanee has had a fantastic start to life in Italy
It is fair to say that his new club are delighted with the left-back’s performances so far, having racked up an impressive 7 assists in his first 7 appearances.
After being an unused substitute in Lazio’s first two league games, Tavares made his debut against AC Milan at the end of August and he created both his team’s goals in the 2-2 draw.
He has subsequently picked up assists against the likes of Fiorentina, Torino, Empoli and Genoa (when he set up two in a 3-0 win).
Lazio chief claims that Tavares’s value has skyrocketed
Speaking after the fullback‘s impressive display against Genoa on Sunday, Lazio president Claudio Lotito vowed to keep hold of him, stating:
“Already a capital gain? I won’t sell him even for 70 million. We have beaten off a lot of competition from the big clubs for the fullback.”
Lotito is probably being a bit over the top with the asking price, but it seems that Tavares has finally blossomed into the type of player Arsenal hoped for when they first signed him over three years ago. They could, therefore, regret the decision to sell him now.
Find out who is in Arsenal’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here