Arsenal would like defender Cedric Soares to stay in north London and fight for his place next season, football.london understands.
Cedric, who joined the Gunners back in January 2020, found first-team opportunities hard to come by during the first half of the 2022/23 campaign. He then opted to leave on loan, signing for Fulham in the winter window until the end of the current campaign.
But the 31-year-old is keen to return to the Emirates Stadium this summer and try and fight for a place in Mikel Arteta's squad during pre-season following positive feedback from the club in recent times. With Champions League football on offer next season it's thought that the Portuguese international's experience could be a useful asset for Arsenal who would like to see him return.
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Ben White has established himself as Arsenal's first-choice right-back this term, producing consistent performances to help Arteta's side mount a serious title challenge that ultimately came short of champions Manchester City. Takehiro Tomiyasu was White's deputy until he sustained a serious knee injury during a Europa League clash against Sporting CP back in March. When discussing the Gunners' injury issues earlier this month, Arteta hinted that Tomiyasu could face a significant period on the treatment table.
"I don’t know, he’s an important player but I don’t know how to quantify," Arteta said when asked about William Saliba's fitness issues. "I don’t know how to quantify when Gabriel Jesus has been out for four months, Nketiah for three months, Emile Smith Rowe for four and a half months, Kieran Tierney out for a few weeks, Tomiyasu out for three-and-a-half months, maybe now six months. This is football."
The north London outfit have already shown interest in Real Valladolid's Ivan Fresneda and have recently been linked with a move for Manchester City's Joao Cancelo. It is clear that Sporting Director Edu will have a big decision to make this summer.
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