Fulham have firmed up their interest in Cedric Soares but a deal still isn’t close, with the two parties remaining apart on finances.

The Athletic report that Arsenal are in talks with Fulham over a possible deal for Cedric Soares, either on loan or on a permanent deal.

Fulham have already maxed out their quota of Premier League loanees, so they’d need to either offload a current loanee or include an obligation to buy in order to secure a loan for Cedric.

But as it stands, a deal seemingly isn’t close anyway. Cedric’s salary is the main point of contention, and Fulham are yet to agree on his wages.

Simon Collings of the Evening Standard confirms that Fulham have firmed up their interest over a January transfer, with Cedric open to a reunion with Marco Silva – his former boss at Sporting CP.

Sky Sports reported earlier this week that Arsenal had given Cedric permission to speak to Fulham, and that Fulham will try to seal the deal with Arsenal once they’ve agreed terms with the right-back.

Cedric has 18 months left on his Arsenal deal, and he’s a long-term target for Fulham.

There were some reports in recent days that Fulham were starting to look at alternative targets, with their move for Cedric stalling.

The player is earning around £65,000-a-week at Arsenal, and Fulham are reluctant to match that. But it seems the deal could still happen if current talks progress.

The 31-year-old has now been absent from Mikel Arteta’s matchday squads for the last three fixtures.

In terms of potential replacements in the Arsenal squad, the Gunners already have Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, but they’re also reportedly looking to bring in Ivan Fresneda of Real Valladolid.