Fulham, Bayer Leverkusen, and Villarreal are interested in signing Cedric Soares, who is open to offers in January, according to a report.

Cedric Soares playing for Arsenal (Photo via Arsenal Academy on Twitter)
Cedric Soares playing for Arsenal (Photo via Arsenal Academy on Twitter)

ESPN report that Fulham, Bayer Leverkusen, and Villarreal are all interested in signing Cedric Soares in the January transfer window.

The player is currently still focusing on establishing himself with Arsenal, but he would listen to offers if manager Mikel Arteta indicates he’s not part of his plans.

As it stands, Fulham are supposedly leading the race for Cedric, but they’re yet to submit a formal offer. A move would likely be on a loan basis at first, with an option or obligation to buy.

It certainly doesn’t seem like Cedric has a key role to play in Arteta’s long-term plans at this stage, as he’s ended up behind both Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu in the Arsenal pecking order.

Up until October 30th, Cedric hadn’t even played a single minute for Arsenal this season, despite making the squad on 11 occasions.

Since then, the right-back has made four appearances totalling 119 minutes, but 90 of those were in the League Cup defeat to Brighton.

Cedric Soares of Arsenal during the warm-up before Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium in London - 23rd April 2021. Copyright: Holly Allison / TPI / Shutterstock
Cedric Soares of Arsenal during the warm-up before Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium in London – 23rd April 2021. Copyright: Holly Allison / TPI / Shutterstock

There won’t be any more League Cup minutes on offer this season, and Cedric doesn’t seem to have a spot in the Premier League or Europa League team. That leaves the FA Cup, which is just as liable to drop off the schedule as the League Cup was.

A transfer may well make sense, but Cedric has a month and a half before the January window opens, and a chance to prove himself in training while White and Tomiyasu are away at the World Cup.