David Ornstein claims Arsenal are set to sign Premier League defender

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has claimed that Arsenal are on the verge of landing the signature of defender Cedric Soares from Southampton on a temporary basis.

The Gunners have already landed the services of Pablo Mari from Flamengo to reinforce the central defensive department and they now appear on the cusp of landing Soares on loan from the Saints.

As per Ornstein, the north London giants are expected to part with a fee of around £5m for the Portuguese defender and that will include the salary cover for the 28-year-old’s stay with the club.

He has added that Mikel Arteta’s side will have the advantage of signing Soares on a free transfer in the summer when his contract with the Saints is set to expire.

The Portugal international is capable of operating in both the right and left-back positions but he has predominantly played in the former of those positions during his time at St.Mary’s.

As a result, he could potentially act as the back-up to Hector Bellerin for the role and that could possibly mean Ainsley Maitland-Niles getting the chance to compete for a midfield spot in the future.

Soares has been sidelined with a minor knee ligament injury since the Premier League clash at Crystal Palace but Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed that he could possibly return to action after the mid-season break.

Arsenal will be eyeing back-to-back wins in all competitions when they face Burnley away from home in the Premier League this weekend. Arteta will welcome Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into the starting XI after the club-captain served his three-match domestic suspension.