WOW: HUGE pricetag skyrocket as Nottingham Forest flop tagged £5m now worth more than £70m all kudos to Nuno Espirito Santos .
Just a few months after departing Nottingham Forest with only a limited number of appearances, defender Nuno Tavares has seen his market value soar.
The full-back spent last season on loan at the City Ground from Arsenal, playing just 12 games in Forest’s colors. Injuries hampered his progress, and he faced competition for the left-back spot from Ola Aina.
Although Tavares’ loan deal with Forest included potential future options, by season’s end, a permanent move seemed unlikely. He returned to Arsenal before securing a loan to Lazio.
Now thriving in Serie A, Tavares recorded his eighth assist in eight games during Lazio’s 5-1 win over Como on Thursday. His standout performances have led the Italian club to place a substantial price tag on him.
Though Lazio initially signed him on loan with a €5 million (£4.22m) obligation to buy, club president Claudio Lotito has revealed his current valuation is far higher. Lotito told Il Messaggero (via Metro), “I’m crazy for Nuno Tavares. He is not for sale, not even for €70 million (£59m).”
Tavares was among five players Forest had on loan last season, but none of them remained with the club. Gio Reyna, Gonzalo Montiel, Divock Origi, and Rodrigo Ribeiro also returned to their respective teams.
This season, Forest has only two loan players: Aston Villa’s Alex Moreno, who has performed well at left-back, with an option for a permanent transfer, and James Ward-Prowse, who joined on a season-long loan from West Ham United on deadline day.