West Ham are interested in signing Arsenal left-back Nuno Tavares, according to Tuttomercatoweb.com (TMW).

The Italian website claim that the Hammers are “on the trail” of the former Portuguese Under 21 international but the Gunners may demand as much as €25m (£21m) for the player.

It is also believed that Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray could make a move for Tavares, which may complicate matters further.

David Moyes’s side were first linked with an offer for the defender back in May, although at the time it was suggested that Tavares could be available for the far more modest price of €8m (£6.8m).

The fee that TMW is suggesting does seem pretty excessive, considering the fullback hasn’t exactly impressed over the last couple of seasons.

Tavares struggled at Arsenal

Tavares made the switch to England from Benfica for £8m in the summer of 2021, but he didn’t make a good impression on manager Mikel Arteta.

Despite making 28 appearances during the 2021/22 campaign, he made only 13 league starts and he was famously substituted before half-time in a FA Cup game against Nottingham Forest.

Following Oleksandr Zinchenko’s arrival at the club, Tavares moved on a season-long loan to Marseille.

An up-and-down spell in France

Tavares got off to a flying start at the Stade Velodrome, scoring three goals in his first four Ligue One appearances.

However, things began to go downhill as the season went on. The fullback was sent home from training by manager Igor Tudor for his poor attitude back in April. He did, however, return to the starting lineup for the next game against Lorient.

Marseille are not trying to keep Tavares on a permanent basis, though, which does tell you a lot about the player. For now, it’s probably wise to take these reports about West Ham’s interest with a pinch of salt but we will keep an eye on any further developments.