The Athletic’s David Ornstein has confirmed that Arsenal are set to complete the signing of another defender in the next 24 hours.
The Gunners have already acquired the services of Pablo Mari on an initial loan from Flamengo and they appear keen on a couple of more temporary deals before the deadline.
As per Ornstein, the north London side are on the cusp of agreeing a loan deal with Southampton for Cedric Soares and they are prepared to part with a sum of around £5m for the deal which includes the salary cover.
He added that the move could be completed in the next 24 hours, provided the necessary formalities including a medical is performed without any concerns.
Soares is presently out of action due to a knee ligament problem but the Saints manager has recently hinted that he could return to the playing field after the mid-season break.
Soares may play second fiddle to Hector Bellerin for the right-back position but he is also capable of featuring in the opposite end of the central defence where the Gunners have missed Sead Kolasinac and Kieran Tierney regularly through injuries this season.
The Portuguese’s arrival may push Ainsley Maitland-Niles into a more advanced role with Arsenal and he may now compete with the likes of Joe Willock and Matteo Guendouzi for the central midfield duties off the bench.
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