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Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen have joined Fulham in the race to sign Arsenal defender Cedric Soares in January, according to Foot Mercato.
Soares joined Arsenal on an initial loan deal from Southampton in January 2020 and made the move permanent the following summer. He has largely remained on the fringes of the team during his three years at the Emirates Stadium so far.
The Portuguese defender has amassed just 28 minutes of Premier League action this season. He fell further down the pecking order after Ben White established himself as Mikel Arteta's first-choice right-back this term, with Takehiro Tomiyasu providing competition.
Soares could thus be allowed to leave when the winter transfer window opens in less than three days' time. Fulham have already been credited with an interest in acquiring his services in January.
There have been claims that the Cottagers are in advanced talks with Arsenal over an initial loan deal for the full-back. While the agreement could also include an obligation to buy, the Gunners are yet to sanction the transfer.
It has now emerged that Fulham are not the only club interested in signing Soares in January. According to the aforementioned source, Atletico Madrid and Leverkusen are also keeping tabs on him.
Atletico Madrid are seemingly determined to sign a new right-back in the winter transfer window. They have notably also been linked with a move for Celtic's Josip Juranovic, who is also a target for Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, Manchester United and Real Madrid's interest in Jeremie Frimpong could force Leverkusen to sign a new right-back. Soares has thus emerged as a target for the Bundesliga club.
Fulham, though, could have an advantage over Atletico Madrid and Leverkusen in the race to sign Soares. Their manager Marco Silva notably worked with the right-back during his time as Sporting Lisbon boss.
Arsenal are looking to sign an attacker
While Soares could be on his way out of the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal are looking to strengthen their squad themselves. They are keen to add a new attacker to their ranks in the January transfer window.
Gabriel Jesus' injury at the 2022 FIFA World Cup has reinforced their plans to sign a new forward. There have been suggestions that Shakthar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk is their top target for January.
The north London giants formalized their interest in Mudryk with a €65 million bid this week. However, the Ukrainian giants were quick to turn down the offer as they want a sum of €100 million for him.
