Arsenal can land Lazio deal to help sign new striker as Matteo Guendouzi speaks out

Arsenal could boost their hopes of landing a new striker by selling Nuno Tavares to Lazio, where he could reunite with former Gunners midfielder Matteo Guendouzi. Mikel Arteta is thought to be eyeing reinforcements at the top of the pitch, with Gabriel Jesus having struggled to stay fit and Eddie Nketiah rumoured to be leaving the club in the summer.

Any move for a top-class forward is likely to cost a pretty penny, with Arsenal able to benefit by raising some extra money through player sales. A good place to start would be to sell Tavares, who has spent the season on loan at Nottingham Forest and looks to have no future at the Emirates Stadium.

Tavares was close to joining Marseille on a permanent basis in January but Forest needed him to cover for injuries and absences from the Africa Cup of Nations. A move away from Arsenal could be resurrected at the end of the season, though, with football.london reporting that his parent club would be ‘open’ to selling him later this year.

The defender is already said to be drawing interest from Serie A, with Lazio having been tipped to move for his signature when the bidding opens. According to Corriere dello Sport, new manager Igor Tudor is eager to reunite with Tavares having worked with him at Marseille during his loan spell there last season.

Tavares was a regular starter for Marseille, making 31 league appearances during his only season on their books and chipping in with six goals. He also played alongside Guendouzi, who is now at Lazio and welcomed the appointment of Tudor following Maurizio Sarri’s resignation earlier this month.

“Tudor’s idea of football can hurt other Serie A teams,” said Guendouzi. “He did great things at OM, even if it was complicated for everyone towards the end of last season and we were unable to take second place. He had already done well in Serie A with Hellas Verona.”

It remains to be seen how much Arsenal would raise by selling Tavares to Lazio, but any fee gained would help the Gunners in their bid to sign a new striker. They have already been linked with a potential move for Sporting marksman Viktor Gyokeres, who has bagged 36 goals in all competitions this season.

The Swede is widely reported to have a £86million release clause in his contract but it seems a deal could be done at a fraction of that price. Sporting are prepared to sell him for as little as £43million, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, with the Portuguese giants willing to slash their asking price by 50 per cent.

It is also said that Arsenal are on the ‘front row’ in the race to sign Gyokeres, who remains tied down until the summer of 2028. However, they are likely to face stiff competition from Chelsea, with the Blues also thought to be keen after initially being linked with a move for Gyokeres in January.