Cedric Soares has played just 65 minutes of football this season (Photo: Getty)
Villarreal have reportedly entered the race to sign Arsenal outcast Cedric Soares who is expected to leave the Emirates in January.
Many thought Cedric would be sold last summer, having fallen far down the pecking order in Mikel Arteta’s side and even spending the last half of the 2022/23 season on loan at Fulham.
However there was little interest in the right-back and so he stayed, but despite a number of defensive injuries, the Portuguese Internatonal has scarcely featured this campaign.
He has made just two appearances for the Gunners: A three-minute cameo in the Carabao Cup win at Brentford and 62 minutes from the start of Tuesday night’s Champions League dead rubber against PSV.
And even with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber injured, Cedric is unlikely to feature much more and Arsenal will be looking to save some money and offload him next month before his contract expires at the end of the season.
And it would seem that interest in the 32-year-old has now emerged, with ESPN reporting that Villarreal have been tracking the defender since the summer and are expected to open talks over a possible move.
It is also said that several clubs in Turkey are interested in his services.
Cedric was one of Mikel Arteta’s first signings for Arsenal (Photo: Getty)
Should he join the La Liga side, Cedric would be able to team up with former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin, as well as several other ex-Premier League stars including Pepe Reina, Juan Foyth and Alberto Moreno.
It is not known however if Arsenal are looking to offload him permanently or would be willing to accept a loan deal just to get him off the wage bill for the final months of his contract.
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Cedric moved to the Emirates from Southampton in 2020, having previously played for Sporting Lisbon and Inter Milan, and has made 61 appearances in all competitions for Arteta’s side.
He is expected to be in the matchday squad on Sunday when Arsenal host Brighton.
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