Chelsea actually tried to sign player Arsenal sold for £6m but they were told to pay £43.5m
Mikel Arteta has allowed a number of players to leave Arsenal over the years.
Almost no one from the Unai Emery and Arsène Wenger era is still at the club, while some of the players the Arsenal manager himself recruited have been moved on.
Arteta has been right with almost all of his decisions so far, and the fact that Arsenal are top of the Premier League table now proves it.
One of the players signed and sold by Arteta was Nuno Tavares, and he has had a checkered career since his departure.
Chelsea attempted to sign former Arsenal star Nuno Tavares this summer
Arsenal signed Tavares from Benfica in the summer of 2021.
The Portuguese defender has enjoyed an impressive start to life at the Emirates and even kept first-choice left-back Kieran Tierney on the bench.
Many fans thought Tavares was a gem signing, but in the second half of his first season his form fell off a cliff and he made too many mistakes.
The left-back has since been loaned out to Marseille, Nottingham Forest and most recently Lazio. He was sold to the Italian club this summer for around £6.7 million after an impressive season there.
Watching him in Italy, Chelsea, along with Inter Milan and Juventus, asked if they could sign him this summer, according to Il Messaggero.
However, Lazio demanded €50m (£43.5m) for Tavares, and no move ultimately materialised.
The Biancocelesti are now ready to offload Tavares, and the report claims he will be available for much less than the fee they wanted this summer.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will try their luck again in 2026.
Arsenal could make big money if Chelsea sign Nuno Tavares
Selling Tavares was the right decision, but Arsenal, who have always been poor sellers, should have gotten a better deal.
However, Edu Gaspar managed to insert a very clever clause into his contract when concluding the loan transfer with obligation to buy.
According to the report, Arsenal have a 40% sell-on clause included in the terms of the deal when Tavares transferred to Lazio.
So even if Chelsea or any other club sign Tavares for £25m, the Gunners will pocket £10m – more than they paid to sign him from Benfica four years ago.