Arsenal now looking to sell £75k-a-week player very soon

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Arsenal are now looking to sell defender Cedric Soares this summer as the Portuguese defender only has one year left on his contract.

That’s according to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth, who was speaking to Give Me Sport.

Cedric Soares has been surplus to requirement at Arsenal for some time.

The sale of Hector Bellerin to Barcelona last summer after his loan spell with Real Betis potentially offered Cedric a way into the team.

However, Mikel Arteta decided to start playing centre-back Ben White as a full-back.

It meant Takehiro Tomiyasu was also pushed down the pecking order and Cedric tended to miss out altogether.

The Japanese defender is just as versatile as Cedric, meaning he wasn’t even needed as emergency cover on the left.

He joined Fulham on loan in January when it became clear his options would be very limited at The Emirates.

Arsenal now want to sell Cedric to get his wages off the books and try and bring in a small transfer fee before his contract expires next year.

They’re unlikely to find a willing buyer in Fulham, who also barely used the defender during his time at the club.

Arsenal want to sell Cedric this summer

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Sheth said: “I’m told that Arsenal are exploring opportunities for suitable exits for Nicolas Pepe and Cedric Soares. They have both only got a year left on their contract.

“It’s incredible to think that Pepe is still Arsenal’s record signing because he joined in 2019 for £72million from Lille.

“He was playing under Unai Emery and it just hasn’t worked under Mikel Arteta. It is just one of those things where he doesn’t fit into his plans.”

The £75,000-a-week full-back managed just eight league appearances last season, with six of them coming for Fulham.

There has been a suggestion that Mikel Arteta might want to reassess Cedric in pre-season.

He wants to fight for his place at the club, but would likely be given a very limited role if he stayed next season.

Arsenal might sell Cedric to bring in another right-back, namely Real Valladolid’s Ivan Fresneda.

On paper, it’s a move that makes a lot of sense for The Gunners, moving on a periphery figure in the squad for someone with a lot of potential.

It will be interesting to see where Cedric is playing his football once the transfer window closes.