Aston Villa 'considering' move for Arsenal man as Nottingham Forest deal breaks down

Aston Villa are exploring the possibility of securing a deal to sign Arsenal defender Nuno Taveres, according to reports.

The Villains earned their first three points of the season in fine fashion with a 4-0 victory over Everton and they are hoping to add further reinforcements to the team in the coming weeks as they prepare to take on Hibernian in a crucial Europa Conference League play-off.

The Portuguese left back was expected to join Nottingham Forest this summer, but negotiations between the two parties have stalled in recent weeks due to “complications” which could leave the transfer in jeopardy. 

Italian football expert Fabrizo Romano explained: “Understanding taks between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal for Nuno Tavares are not easy - deal getting complicated at this stage. There are other options for Nuno now.”

Aston Villa are believed to be one of the other options for Tavares and Unai Emery is thought to be an admirer of the player, after his successful loan spell at Marseille last season. The 23-year-old was a regular starter in France last season and he scored a total of six goals in his 31 appearances as Marseille recorded an impressive third place finish in the league.

Tavares’ strong form has also garnered the attention of several other clubs around Europe and German sides Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg have both enquired about the players availability. Tavares has previously stated that he wanted to stay at the Emirates Stadium and claimed he was willing to fight for a place in Arteta’s side.

But it appears he is surplus to requirements this season and the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jurrien Timber and Takehiro Tomiyasu all appear to be ahead of Tavares in the pecking order.

The Portuguese youngster is yet to appear in the Arsenal squad this season and he was absent for The Gunners’ Community Shield triumph and their opening day win over Nottingham Forest.

If the move is successful Tavares would compete with the likes of Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno for a place in the starting lineup as Villa aim to improve on their seventh place finish last term.