Arsenal are eyeing a pair of fullbacks with Serie A ties. They have made an offer for Nuno Tavares, whom Napoli have been extensively pursuing in recent weeks. Moreover, they added Mert Muldur to the list of possible replacements for Hector Bellerin.
The Partenopei placed multiple bids for the Benfica defender, one including Mario Rui. However, they could not meet the asking price of the Portuguese club. The Gunners have yet to do it either, but the player would prefer to move to the Premier League. According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have proposed €7/8M plus add-ons, while Benfica want €15M. Napoli are keen on bringing in a new specialist and would target Emerson Palmieri and Kostantinos Tsiminkas if they missed out on Tavares.
On top of Inter, Bellerin has been linked to Atletico Madrid in case Kyrian Trippier moves back to England. Muldur is among the options to substitute him, The Athletic informed. The Turkish right-back has a €15M price tag as well.
Muldur is under contract till 2024 and will want to talk to new coach Alessio Dionisi before making a decision on his future. The departure of Roberto De Zerbi could lead to an exodus within the Neroverdi. He moved to the Peninsula from Rapid Wien for €4.7M in 2019. He has appeared in 54 matches during his time in Italy, scoring 2 goals and providing 4 assists. The talks with Arsenal are in their preliminary stages as they need to trim their roster first. The defender also has ten caps with Turkey.