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Arsenal complete their first sale of the summer: report

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Arsenal have already sold their first player this summer, as Mikel Arteta looks to improve his squad

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta watches from the touchline before the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on September 22, 2024.
Arteta has made his first sale of the summer (Image credit: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Arsenal have completed their first sale of the summer, as manager Mikel Arteta looks to rebuild ahead of next season.

The Gunners came close in three competitions this season, finishing second in the Premier League and reaching the semi-finals of both the Champions League and the League Cup – but still, Arteta is searching for his first silverware since his debut campaign in 2019/20.

With Arsenal looking to improve the overall quality at the Basque boss's disposal this summer, however, this will also be an intriguing window of exits.

Arsenal have sold one star, with four more to leave

 (R) Arsenal Managing Director Richard Garlick with (L) new Sporting Director Andrea Berta at Sobha Realty Training Centre on March 30, 2025 in London Colney, England.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has a busy window ahead (Image credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

After Arteta confirmed that at least four players would be leaving in the coming weeks, several Gunners stars have been linked with exits, too, as the club looks to raise capital for big buys.

The Athletic, for example, has confirmed this morning that the futures of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli will be in sharp focus this summer as a new wide forward arriving at the Emirates Stadium hinges on the exit of one of the pair.

Leandro Trossard of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City FC at Emirates Stadium on September 28, 2024 in London, England.

Leandro Trossard could be sacrificed this summer to make way for a new signing (Image credit: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)

Now, Radio Sei in Italy have relayed a report from publication Il Messaggero that Arsenal have already agreed the sale of Nuno Tavares to Lazio.

Despite talk among some fans of the Gunners needing an overlapping left-back to complement Ben White on the other flank, the Rome-based outfit had a €5 million option in the loan agreement to keep the full-back in the Eternal City, which now appears to have been triggered.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito has been effusive in his praise for Tavares, claiming earlier this season that he values the star north of €70m – and while Arsenal will obviously not be receiving anything near that figure for a fringe star, FourFourTwo understands that a decent sell-on fee has been inserted in the deal.

Arsenal stand to get 20 per cent of any fee that Lazio agree to sell Tavares for: so if Lotito really does want to sell him for €70m – as unlikely as that may be – the Gunners can expect €14m of the cut.

Nuno Tavares

Tavares never made it with Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to the BBC, the Portuguese only joined the north Londoners for £8m, meaning that Arsenal haven't made a huge loss on Tavares.

The 25-year-old is worth €25m, as per Transfermarkt.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.