Mikel Arteta is looking to trim his squad before the transfer window closes (Picture: Getty)

Nottingham Forest are ready to step up their attempts to sign Arsenal flop Nuno Taveres and are prepared to pay up to £30million for the versatile defender.

The Portugal Under-21 international joined the Gunners for just over £7m two years ago from Benfica and showed initial signs of promise, stepping into the team in place of Kieran Tierney.

A calamitous performance against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, when he was hauled off before half-time, proved to be the beginning of the end for the 23-year-old under Mikel Arteta, who was seen, in Amazon’s All or Nothing documentary, hammering the player in the dressing room during a fixture at West Ham.

Tavares subsequently spent last season on loan at West Ham where he was exiled after another bright start yet, despite his recent struggles, improving Forest are ready, according to the Mirror, to take a major gamble.

Weder Bremen are also reported to be showing interest but Tavares is said to prefer a move to a Premier League club.

Arteta, meanwhile, is keen to trim his squad before the transfer window closes but could yet make further additions in light of Jurrien Timber’s injury which could rule him out for the rest of the season.

‘I am more thinking about the resources that we have within the team to keep doing what we want to do,’ said Arteta on his transfer plans for the remainder of the window.

‘It’s true that [Jurrien] was giving us very different things in terms of what we could do on both sides, but again, these things happen, and we have to be prepared for that.

‘It’s an opportunity for everybody. We’re going to need everybody, and everybody is going to be important.

‘The numbers that we have in the squad, especially in those positions are more limited now, so everybody has to be ready.’

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The Gunners would be making a decent profit.