Arsenal sell forgotten star for £6.5m three years after he last played – and they could rake in more for him this summer

ARSENAL have added around £6.5m to their summer transfer kitty after Nuno Tavares completed a switch to Lazio.

The Portuguese full-back spent last season on loan at the Italian club – having also been loaned out by the Gunners to Marseille and Nottingham Forest over the past two seasons.

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Nuno Tavares has been sold to Lazio by Arsenal[/caption]

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The full-back spent the last season with the Serie A giants on loan[/caption]

Boss Mikel Arteta was left unimpressed by the 25-year-old after making 22 Prem appearances in his debut 2021/22 campaign following an £8m move from Benfica.

SunSport understands that within his Lazio loan deal, there was an obligation to buy should they not be relegated from Serie A.

The Italian side ended up finishing seventh this term.

With Lazio considering selling Tavares straight on this summer for an immediate profit – despite signing him up on a three-year deal – Arsenal would also benefit with a sell-on of up to 25 per cent.

Tavares is Arsenal’s first sale of the summer, expected to be one of many with defenders Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard linked with moves away.

Kiwior is being looked at by several clubs in Italy, Zinchenko is being monitored by Borussia Dortmund and Trossard has admirers in Saudi Arabia.

Both Jorginho and Kieran Tierney are leaving on free transfers, while Raheem Sterling and Neto are returning to their parent clubs after season-long loans.

Arsenal are making room for several incomings in what Arteta has described as a “big summer”, which could see them splash £200m.

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Midfielder Martin Zubimendi is on the brink of having his £51m move from Real Sociedad confirmed, with Thomas Partey also close to signing a new deal with his contract expiring this month.

A No.9 is at the top of new sporting director Andrea Berta’s list, targeting £60m-valued Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres and £69m-valued Red Bull Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko.

Other areas are also in need of bolstering.

Arsenal want a new No.2 to challenge David Raya.

Espanyol’s £25m-valued Joan Garcia is of interest, but would need to compete with Barcelona for his signature.

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A defender could also be needed, but Arteta is currently happy with his options in Zinchenko, Kiwior, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel.

Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams – worth around £50m – remains highly-rated by Arteta.

But his sky-high wages are proving an issue with Arsenal unwilling to break their current financial structure.