Arsenal defender set for loan move to Serie A - Reports

Nuno Tavares appears to be on his way to Italy

Serie A club Atalanta are closing in on the signing of Nuno Tavares on loan from Arsenal, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

Arsenal signed Tavares from Primeira Liga club Benfica for a sum of around £7 million last summer. The 22-year-old moved to the Emirates Stadium with a view to providing cover to first-choice left-back Kieran Tierney.

Tierney's injury problems saw Tavares make 28 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners last term. He scored one goal and provided two assists in the process.

However, Oleksandr Zinchenko's £32 million arrival from Manchester City has raised doubts about Tavares' future at Arsenal. The Portugal Under-21s international is likely to become Mikel Arteta's third-choice left-back behind Tierney and Zinchenko.

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The former Benfica defender has thus been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium in recent days. Olympique Marseille are interested in signing him on loan, but the player is unconvinced about the move.

Tavares has also been cited as a potential option to replace Marc Cucurella, who is wanted by Manchester City at Brighton & Hove Albion. However, Italy appears to be his next destination.

The left-back is on the verge of joining Atalanta on a temporary deal, according to the aforementioned source. While the length of the agreement is yet to be known, it is likely to last until the end of the 2022-23 season.

Nuno #Tavares is close to @Atalanta_BC on loan without buy-option from @Arsenal. Still work in progress. Details to be sorted out. 🇵🇹🔴⚪️ #AFC

Atalanta will not have the option to make Tavares' loan deal permanent, as per the report. Meanwhile, the finer details of the transfer are yet to be ironed out.

It is worth noting that Atalanta usually deploy left wing-backs instead of left-backs. Tavares is thus likely to play in a much more advanced role should his loan move to the Serie A club go through.

Who else could leave Arsenal this summer?

The Gunners have made four major additions to their squad this summer. Apart from Zinchenko, they have signed Gabriel Jesus, Matt Turner and Marquinhos ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Meanwhile, Matteo Guendouzi and Konstantinos Mavropanos have made their loan moves to Olympique Marseille and VfB Stuttgart permanent. Alexandre Lacazette has also left Arsenal on a free transfer.

Tavares appears to be next in line to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer. There are also doubts about Bernd Leno, Pablo Mari, Hector Bellerin and Nicolas Pepe's future at the club.