Arsenal defender Cedric Soares is being wanted by two Turkish clubs Besiktas and Trabzonspor in the January window, according to a report from Football London.
The 32-year-old has struggled for regular game time at the Emirates Stadium this season and he is seen as surplus to requirements in north London.
Cedric has a contract until the end of the season and chances are high that he could be sold. He has failed to convince manager Mikel Arteta that he has a future at Arsenal, and Football London claims that he is open to leaving the Gunners in January.
According to Sky Sports (transfer live blog, 2.25 pm), Arsenal may demand a small fee for the Portugal international but their main priority is to get his £120,000-a-week wages off the books.
Arteta will be looking to bolster the squad in the January transfer window, and he can re-invest the money by selling Soares into signing a new midfielder or striker, which are the main two positions the club feels they should strengthen.
Should Arsenal sell him?
Soares hasn’t played a single minute in the Premier League this season and has started in just one Champions League game so far. He is the third-choice right-back behind Benjamin White and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
It’s not like he has less competition on the opposite flank. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior are blocking his path on the left-hand side which means Arteta will struggle to give him regular game time going forward as well.
The Athletic claimed this week that the Gunners may not look to sell the defender next month. The Gunners are lacking depth at the back, and Arteta probably won’t be willing to offload any players unless they have options lined up.
He was expected to leave Arsenal permanently during the summer transfer window, but that didn’t happen. It could happen in the January window.
