Arsenal are set to take Southampton full-back Cedric Soares on loan for the rest of the season.
The Portuguese international – part of the side that won Euro 2016 – is out of contract at St.Mary’s in the summer, but Arsenal are going to pay a £5 million loan fee for him, which includes covering his wages in full.
He will not be available or first-team action immediately, as he was taken off in Southampton’s last Premier League game against Crystal Palace with a knee ligament injury, which is expected to keep him out of action for up to three weeks.
Soares will be the second defender to join the club on laon before deadline day. On Wednesday it was confirmed that Pablo Mari was joining the club for the rest of the season from Brazilian club Flamengo, in a deal that included an option to buy the 26 year old in the summer.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.