Aston Villa eyeing ‘outstanding’ £22m speedster who’s ‘there for the taking’ – journalist

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Aston Villa have been linked with Arsenal’s Nuno Tavares in recent days.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that the Villans had begun making enquiries over the Gunners full-back.

Tavares was apparently a target for fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest.

However, the move fell through and they’ve since signed someone else.

Meanwhile, Lucas Digne’s future at Aston Villa is uncertain amid links with a move to the Saudi Pro League.

With that in mind, the Villans appear to be in pursuit of Tavares, a player who appears to be surplus to Arsenal’s requirements.

Dean Jones, speaking on GiveMeSport, admitted that Villa are definitely “exploring” this option.

“I think it does make sense from the point of view that Aston Villa just never seem content with their full-back options,” he said. “This is a club that is always looking to change.

“They’re constantly looking at this area in terms of upgrading or, at the very least, threatening to upgrade the left-back position, so that doesn’t surprise me at all.

“Nuno Tavares is clearly there for the taking right now. His move to Forest hasn’t gone ahead and they’ve signed somebody else now.

“The options are there. If you were to look at it in the cold light of day, it doesn’t look like a position to most of us that especially needs strengthening.

“But Emery has his own views on it and, clearly, this is one that they’re exploring.”

Our view

Tavares hasn’t managed to carve out many first-team opportunities at Arsenal and his future there seems uncertain.

He could certainly do with a chance of scenery, and Aston Villa would certainly be a good place for him to try and kickstart his career.

Tavares began brightly at both Arsenal and Marseille – where he played on loan last season – but things eventually petered out.

“Nuno’s still a young player but he has fantastic physical capabilities,” Marseille boss Igor Tudor told The Sun. “He’s got an outstanding ability to run.

“He could play at Real, at Barcelona, at Man City… he still needs to grow and progress, we talk a lot to him.”

With a bit of patience, he can build up some consistency and hopefully realise his potential.

The Gunners are reportedly seeking £22million for Tavares, which isn’t too prohibitive as a transfer fee.