Arsenal open to selling Cedric Soares in January amid interest from Villarreal

Arsenal defender Cedric Soares could leave the club in January amid interest from La Liga club Villarreal, according to the Evening Standard.

The Portuguese right-back was linked with the Spanish club in the summer, with contacts established between both parties at the time.

Villarreal are still keen on Soares, and Arsenal are now open to selling the 32-year-old ahead of his contract expiring at the end of the current campaign.

The former Southampton star has featured in just two games for the Gunners across all competitions this term, coming on for the last three minutes in the Carabao Cup game against Brentford in September and playing 62 minutes in the dead-rubber Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven last week.

Soares joined Arsenal on a six-month loan in January 2020 before the move was made permanent afterwards as a free transfer upon the expiry of his Southampton contract.

An injury prevented him from making his debut until July 2020 when he came on as a 77th-minute substitute, scoring a 20-yard strike with his left foot, four minutes after being on the pitch in a 4-0 victory over Norwich City.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was full of praise for Soares at the time, but he has fallen out of favour since the 2022-23 campaign, spending the second half of that season on loan with Fulham having played just four times for the North London club during the first half of the campaign.

“He’s a different quality in the full-back area than what we have,” Arteta said back in June 2020.

“He’s a gifted, technical player and is probably the best we have in the final third to make the right decision and attack the box as well.

“He can play in a four or a five, he’s a really good player with experience in the Premier League that can help us.”

Arsenal are light at the back following injuries to Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey, but Soares has struggled to play in their absence having fallen way down the pecking order, and, unsurprisingly, the Gunners are willing to let him go.

Ben White has been filling in at right-back in the absence of the aforementioned trio, while youth team player Reuell Walters can also feature in the position and has been named on the bench several times this term, so Arsenal have nothing to lose if Soares leaves next month.