Lazio are plotting a significant double swoop for Arsenal flop Nuno Tavares and Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood, though they will reportedly have to contend with a rival offer for the latter.
Tavares moved to the Premier League in July 2021 when Arsenal paid Benfica £8million to sign him. But the left-back subsequently failed to impress Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, resulting in loan moves to Marseille and Nottingham Forest.
Tavares put in some exciting performances for Marseille during the 2022-23 campaign, chipping in with six goals in 31 Ligue 1 matches. But his form eventually dropped off, and he also spent large parts of last season either warming the bench or out of the squad entirely at Forest.
Arteta and Arsenal sporting director Edu do not think the Portuguese has a future at the Emirates and are ready to sell him, should an appropriate bid come in.
According to the latest from the Italian media, Lazio have initiated preliminary talks with Tavares’ agent to find out whether he would be open to a summer move to Serie A.
Should Lazio be given encouragement by the player’s camp, then they will begin negotiations with Arsenal to try and strike a summer deal.
Tavares will be cheap, as his Arsenal contract is due to expire in June 2025, though Lazio will need to sell a player or two before they can meet his price tag.
Alternatively, the Italians could sign him on loan with an obligation to buy next year. Arsenal, meanwhile, are determined not to lose the full-back on a free transfer when his contract expires.
Transfer news: Lazio want Arsenal, Man Utd duo
Lazio have also held talks with Man Utd over the possible signing of Greenwood, whose successful loan spell with Getafe has now finished.
Lazio started the bidding for the forward at just £17m (plus a 50 per cent sell-on clause), far less than Man Utd’s asking price of £30m. But it was claimed on Wednesday that Claudio Lotito, Lazio’s president, will not go any higher than that £17m offer as he knows Man Utd are desperate to sell before their pre-season begins on July 8 (Monday).
Although, Lotito’s assertive plan could end up backfiring. As per various sources including Simon Stone and Gianluca Di Marzio, Marseille have thundered into the race for Greenwood and have offered more than Lazio to Man Utd.
With Marseille now in pole position to sign the Englishman, Lazio must decide whether to improve their cheeky £17m proposal or hunt alternative attacking targets.
Signing players from Arsenal and Man Utd would be a real statement from Lazio and would show their Serie A rivals that they are ready to launch a top-four push. But Marco Baroni’s side are now at risk of missing out on Greenwood to Marseille.
