Arteta delight with PSG raid for Arsenal man completely shut down after shock link appears

Mikel Arteta will be happy after learning Paris Saint-Germain are not interested in Arsenal full-back Nuno Tavares, despite recent reports claiming the French giants to be looking into a deal.

Tavares spent last season on loan at Marseille from Arsenal. The left-back got off to a great start in Ligue 1, registering five goals in his first 16 appearances. He demonstrated his ability to get up with the forwards and be a real handful in attack.

However, Tavares’ goals then dried up and he was also accused of some defensive errors which plagued his debut season at Arsenal.

Tavares is now back at Arsenal, although it remains to be seen whether he will be staying in North London. The Portuguese has little chance of displacing usual left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko in the Arsenal starting eleven. And Arteta would probably prefer to use Takehiro Tomiyasu as Zinchenko’s deputy over Tavares, in case Kieran Tierney leaves.

Due to Tavares’ uncertain situation at the Emirates, he has been linked with moves to Turkey or West Ham. And now PSG can be added to that list.

According to reports emerging from Spain, PSG have been considering Tavares as a potential summer addition to their squad. However, RMC Sport have now come in with a completely contradictory update.

They state that the 23-year-old ‘is not in PSG’s sights’ as new boss Luis Enrique is eyeing up different targets.

Nuno Tavares not on PSG radar

Arteta will be delighted about this update. It would have been incredibly frustrating for everyone involved with Arsenal if Tavares had left for PSG and gone on to become a top full-back for them.

Instead, it looks like Tavares might spend another season on loan away from Arsenal before returning to fight for a starting spot at the Emirates in the 2024-25 season.

While Tavares will stay on Arsenal’s books, team-mate Folarin Balogun is highly likely to move on. The striker has already revealed he will not be securing another loan, but with Arteta unable to offer him regular first-team opportunities, a permanent exit seems to be the best solution.

Balogun could secure an impressive move next, too. Inter are in talks with his entourage as they aim to give him his first taste of Italian football.

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe has received the ‘offer of the century’ as one club tries to beat Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid to his signature, as per a report.