According to Ryan Taylor of The Express, things are now advancing at quite a pace. The deal will be a loan to start with and it’s not clear at this stage whether there will be an obligation or a mandatory requirement to buy him in 12 months
Furthermore, Fabrizio Romano has weighed in too. He believes that Tavares said yes to joining Forest when they were first mentioned earlier this month.
Tavares hasn’t found things easy at Arsenal. He signed as a talented player from Benfica for £8 million back in 2021 but has managed just 28 appearances for the Gunners, scoring once and claiming two assists
Arguably the best season of his career came last season. He went on loan to Marseille and managed to score six goals and he held down the left-sided wing-back role for the Ligue 1 outfit
Now, Forest look set to win the race to sign Tavares. It had seemed as though the Reds were going to miss out on the left-back, with Aston Villa linked with the 23-year-old shortly after Forest’s interest became clear.
Forest close to agreeing loan deal with Arsenal for Tavares
The player was previously praised by Garth Crooks in his BBC Team of the Week column. He called him ‘brilliant’ after he assisted Bukayo Saka for a goal.
Tavares will be met with some scepticism from the Reds fan base. During a 1-0 defeat to Forest in the FA Cup back in 2022, Tavres was subbed after just 20 minutes following an uncomfortable start.
Still, he rediscovered himself last season. At Marseille he was outstanding and he helped the club qualify for the qualifying stages of the Champions League.
The Reds need to get themselves a new left-back sorted out. Ola Aina is more of a makeshift option, whilst Harry Toffolo faces a ban after breaching betting regulations.
Tavares could thrive under Steve Cooper. This looks like a clear sign that Forest want to play with wing-backs this season and that can only be a good thing.
