The agents of Arsenal left-back Nuno Tavares have reportedly arrived in London to negotiate the Portuguese's exit from the Emirates.
The 23-year-old departed Benfica in 2021 to join the Gunners' ranks under Mikel Arteta and initially made a big impression while deputising for the injured Kieran Tierney.
However, Tavares's fortunes soon took a dramatic downturn, culminating in his first-half substitution and angry reaction in an FA Cup third-round defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The Portugal Under-21 international laid down an early marker during a loan spell at Marseille last season, contributing three goals from his first four Ligue 1 games as a left-wing back.
Tavares ended the campaign with six strikes to his name from 39 matches, but concerns over his attitude hampered his time in France, and there is no route for him back into the Arsenal setup under Arteta.
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The former Benfica man is training away from the first team as the club attempt to offload him, and he is only under contract in North London for another two seasons.
According to Sky Sports News - via BirminghamLive - Tavares's representatives have now touched down in the UK to accelerate their client's departure from Arsenal, who will not stand in his way of an exit.
The Gunners are said to be open to an initial loan exit with an obligation to buy in 2024, but they would rather offload Tavares permanently before the summer window shuts on September 1.
Nottingham Forest were pushing to bring Tavares to the City Ground earlier this window, but an agreement could not be reached on the player's side and a deal subsequently collapsed.
Now, Aston Villa - managed by ex-Arsenal head coach Unai Emery - are considered the frontrunners for his signature, as the left-back is supposedly keen to continue his career in England.
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However, a plethora of other clubs are prepared to rival Villa for the signature of the 23-year-old, who boasts one goal and two assists from 28 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions.
Tavares is one of two left-backs in the Emirates departure lounge, as Tierney is thought to be on the verge of a season-long loan move to La Liga giants Real Sociedad, having fallen out of favour under Arteta.
Further up the field, Folarin Balogun is expected to join French giants Monaco in a club-record sale for Arsenal, breaking the previous high held by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's £35m switch to Liverpool in 2017.
The Gunners will also try to find buyers for Nicolas Pepe, Rob Holding, Cedric Soares and Albert Sambi Lokonga in the coming days, although the former could instead have his contract terminated, four years after his £72m arrival from Lille.
Arsenal will seek a third win from three Premier League games when they host London rivals Fulham on Saturday, although the injured Jurrien Timber and suspended Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss the visit of the Cottagers.
Ben Knapton
