This morning, we covered the front page news from newspaper A Bola which said Benfica fullback Nuno Tavares is ‘one step away’ from joining Arsenal.
The outlet claimed the Gunners have submitted an offer of €8m for the player, with a further €2m in performance bonuses, and that was apparently enough to convince the Eagles.
Now we get to see more sides of this story, with other Portuguese newspapers bringing their own take on this situation. And most of them are taking things a little easier.
The most interesting article probably comes from O Jogo, who writes there could be another player involved in the operation.
It’s claimed it was Mikel Arteta who requested the signing of Tavares, following a ‘insightful evaluation’ made by Arsenal’s scouting department. However, the Gunners are still to turn their approach into a concrete bid.
Benfica want €15m for the move, and if negotiating a smaller price, they want a counterpart which could be Gunners midfielder Matteo Guendouzi.
The Eagles’ interest in the Frenchman has been reported for a couple of weeks now, and Arsenal’s interest in Tavares seems to be the chance for the Lisbon side to get their target.
O Jogo makes it clear this would be a separate operation, with its own numbers and clauses, but could definitely help the Gunners sign Nuno Tavares.
Meanwhile, newspaper Record highlights the fact that Arsenal already have an agreement with Nuno Tavares for a five-year deal, but the Gunners now must find a deal with Benfica.
It’s once again claimed that the Premier League club are offering €8m, but it’s also said that the Eagles want €15m. That request apparently ‘did not scare’ Mikel Arteta’s side, who can still add some performance goals to that.
Still, Record says Benfica will demand at least €10m in an initial payment, and only then they’ll take the add ons.
Now if Arsenal struggle to match those demands, perhaps Guendouzi is indeed the key to unblock this deal.
