Fenerbahce are interested in Arsenal star Cedric Soares but a permanent deal will have to wait until next summer.
According to Turkish outlet Takvim, Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are keeping tabs on Arsenal star Cedric Soares.
The right-back joined Arsenal from Southampton, initially on loan in January 2020. He eventually made the move permanent the next summer after his contract at St Mary’s ran out. Soares has since made 29 appearances for the Gunners, scoring once and assisting twice. A bit-part player, Cedric has shown little to suggest he has a future at the Emirates.
He could now be offered an escape route thanks to newly appointed Fenerhance manager Vitor Pereira. The Portuguese tactician has identified his countryman as the ideal fit for the right-back spot and is keen to make a move for him this summer. Pereira is eager to use Cedric as a right wing-back in his 3-4-3 system and as a right-back in the more traditional 4-4-2 formation.
The Yellow Canaries are hamstrung by their financial position and cannot make an outright offer for the player. However, they are open to taking him on loan with the option to make the deal permanent next summer. The Gunners are well stocked in the position and could be open to letting the veteran full-back go. With the likes of Hector Bellerin and Calum Chambers available, the Gunners will do well to rid themselves of Soares and free up salary space for reinforcements.
A move to Turkey would be a welcome challenge for Cedric, who has a better chance of playing regularly at the Estadio Sukru Saracoglu. He looks set to request Arsenal to sanction the move. Whether that will happen remain to be seen.
Full-backs play an important role in the modern game, and Arsenal have so far played catchup to their rivals in that aspect. In Kieran Tierney, they have one of the best young left-backs in the game and have recently added the promising Nuno Tavares to their squad. It is fair to say that the left-back spot is well accounted for.
The same cannot be said of their prowess on the other flank. Soares’s potential departure could lay the seeds for the Gunners to also bring in a dependable right-back who could become a regular feature for them in the years to come. Both Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have been linked with a move away, and selling them could help the Londoners amass the funds they need to bring in reinforcements.
Two of the names on the club’s radar are Sergino Dest and Max Aarons. While it is debatable if the Gunners can land them, either player would be an upgrade over their current options. Whether selling Cedric will be the domino that sets the transfer chain into motion remains to be seen.
