Arsenal agree first transfer of summer window as early deal finalised for defender to leave | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta is keen to top up his transfer kitty

Arsenal are expected to kick off their summer business with the permanent exit of Nuno Tavares.

The expectation is that Lazio will activate the option after Tavares impressed during his season on loan in Italy.

The left-back has notched eight assists in Serie A, a tally only Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku have bettered.

Reports in Italy claim that Lazio may look to instantly sell Tavares, in the hope they can make a quick profit on him.

Getty Images

Arsenal would be covered by such a scenario as it is understood that the loan deal agreed last summer includes a sell-on clause, which is believed to be worth up to 25 per cent.

The Gunners have made a point of adding sell-on clauses into recent deals to ensure they benefit from future cash windfalls.

The club banked £2m last summer when academy graduate Mark McGuinness moved from Cardiff to Luton for £10m.

Arsenal made a similar amount in January when striker Mika Biereth joined Monaco from Sturm Graz and they earned north of £2m when Omari Hutchinson left Chelsea for Ipswich a year ago.

Tavares could be the first of several players to leave Arsenal this summer as they look to top up their transfer kitty.

Leandro Trossard could again be the subject of transfer offers

Getty Images

Fellow left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has one year left on his contract and is likely to attract interest. He was a target for Borussia Dortmund in January.

Kieran Tierney’s contract expires next month and will rejoin his boyhood club Celtic.

Leandro Trossard was the subject of interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia last year and they could return to test Arsenal’s resolve again.

Midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga has spent the past season on loan at Sevilla and is expected to leave this summer. Sevilla have the option to make his move permanent for around £10m.