Arsenal and West Ham’s Summer Dealings May Not Be Over With Nuno Tavares and Ben Johnson Among Discussions

Nuno Tavares
Nuno Tavares

Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal is all but confirmed but that may not be the last of their exchanges with West Ham, who are reportedly interested in returning loanee Nuno Tavares.

That is according to a report by i, who claim that the Hammers will look to attack the market once Rice’s hop across is London is formalised.

The club will have benefited from €15.94m in Europa Conference League prize money after sweeping aside Fiorentina in Prague at the beginning of June.

A sizeable £105m cash injection from their club captain’s exit should also provide David Moyes and the board with enough firepower to remain competitive next season.

However, West Ham were recently placed on Financial Fair Play’s watchlist after heavy investment in nine players last summer, and their £-268.65m net spend over the past five years will only free up a small chunk of Rice’s fee.

Nevertheless, a positive relationship appears to be blossoming between Arsenal and West Ham, with the latter reportedly interested in Nuno Tavares.


The Portuguese left-back spent last season on loan at Marseille, where he impressed on occasion after notching in six goals in Ligue 1 on their way to qualifying for the Champions League.

Despite starting the campaign on a positive note in north London, he is thought to have annoyed Mikel Areta and his coaching staff due to his on-field attitude.

This appears to be an ongoing problem, with Marseille also withdrawing any interest of a permanent deal.

The Hammers have expressed early interest, and are confident they can swing a cut-price deal worth less that £10m.

Elsewhere, West Ham youth product Ben Johnson has been touted as another Hammers target for the Gunners, with ExWHUemployee confirming their interest on his exclusive Patreon service.

The versatile defender is not interested in penning fresh terms with his boyhood club, and Arsenal’s mission to bolster their squad depth is reportedly the driving force behind their interest.

 

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