Arsenal: Nuno Tavares signing confirmed, Inter talks on Bellerin hit snag

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Arsenal have completed and confirmed the signing of left-back Nuno Tavares from Benfica on a long-term contract.

The 21-year-old rose through the youth ranks at the Portuguese club, and having spent a year with their B side, he earned a spot in the first-team squad in 2019. He went on to make a total of 41 appearances in all competitions since, scoring once and producing seven assists.

At the Emirates, Tavares is expected to provide cover, and eventually competition, for Kieran Tierney, who recently signed a new long-term contract himself. Arsenal will be paying an initial fee of €8 million for Tavares, with add-ons set to raise the total amount higher.

Sead Kolasinac, the previous man in the job, spent the second half of 2020-21 on loan at his former club Schalke 04 and is expected to leave the club permanently this summer, a year before his contract expires.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are in talks with Inter Milan over the proposed sale of right-back  Hector Bellerin. The recently crowned Serie A champions have parted ways with Achraf Hakimi, who has joined Paris Saint-Germain in a €68m deal, and they’re keen on acquiring Bellerin as a replacement on the right defensive flank. PSG were reportedly looking into the possibility of signing the Spaniard themselves, before turning their attention on Hakimi.

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However, Fabrizio Romano reports that the talks between Arsenal and Inter over Bellerin have hit a snag. Apparently, Inter want the 26-year-old on an initial loan with an option to turn the deal permanent at the end of 2021-22, but Arsenal are only interested in a permanent sale straight away as they seek to raise funds for incoming deals.

The Gunners have been heavily linked with Brighton and Hove Albion defender Ben White, and that situation is expected to be resolved over the next week or two, after England’s clash with Italy in the final of the Euros. They’re also reportedly very close to completing a deal to sign midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht, and have been credited with strong interest in Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli as well.