Olympique Marseille president Pablo Longoria allegedly wants to sign Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares before the January transfer window closes.
The Ligue 1 club has been extensively connected with a move for the 24-year-old defender in recent days, with Tavares due to return to Arsenal from his current loan term at Nottingham Forest.
According to reports, the north London club could sell Tavares permanently, and the former Portuguese youth international could join Marseille in January.
According to L’Equipe, Marseille’s club president personally wants to recruit Tavares, but Longoria is already facing internal opposition from general director Stephane Teissier.
As per the article, Tesissier supports a move for Nantes defender Quentin Merlin, which means that conversations at Marseille must first take place regarding which left-back is signed this January.
Indeed, if Longoria has his way, Tavares might depart Arsenal permanently in January, which many Gooners would welcome in the coming days.
Arsenal would love to sell Nuno Tavares to Marseille in the January transfer window.
Although Tavares’ departure may not be enough to fund Arsenal’s own January signing, getting rid of another piece of deadwood is a positive step forward.
Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have excelled in recent years in trimming the fat in Arsenal’s team, and while it hasn’t resulted in significant financial gain, the results on and off the pitch speak for themselves.
And many Arsenal fans would see Tavares’ departure as a transfer win, especially if the Gunners can secure a sum from Marseille for the defender.
In recent years, the French giants have demonstrated their willingness to pay big on the right player, and Marseille has a good opportunity of doing so with Tavares in the coming days.