Arsenal are hoping to complete the loan signing of Southampton full-back Cedric Soares on deadline day.
The Gunners agreed a deal with Southampton on Wednesday afternoon, which will see them part with a loan fee of around £1million for the 28-year-old.
Arsenal will also cover the full cost of Soares’ £65,000-a-week wages for the rest of the season and, with various add-ons, the total outlay for the deal could reach around £3m.
The Gunners are taking the right-back on loan for the rest of the campaign, but it is expected that they will sign him permanently in the summer when his contract expires and an option for a longer-term deal for then is on the table.
After reaching an agreement with Arsenal, Southampton gave Soares permission to hold talks with the Gunners and undergo a medical and it was expected his move to Emirates Stadium would be all wrapped up before the 11pm deadline.
The arrival of Soares will be a boost for Arteta, who has wanted to bolster his options at full-back this month.
The Portugal international will provide direct competition to Hector Bellerin for the right-back slot, but the fact he is also able to fill in at left-back makes him an attractive option.
Arsenal had been looking at Paris Saint-Germain’s Layvin Kurzawa, who is also out of contract in the summer, but Soares has already proven himself in the Premier League and his wage demands are understood to be less.
Southampton themselves are happy to sanction a deal for Soares given that they otherwise risked losing him for free in the summer.
The right-back had given no indication he would pen fresh terms at the club and as a result Saints have wisely elected to cash in on him.
His replacement has already been brought in after Southampton completed a loan deal for Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker-Peters.
The 22-year-old academy graduate has made just 24 senior appearances for Spurs, with five of them coming this season, and he is eager to get more game time after moving to the south coast.
Soares’ arrival at Arsenal will be the club’s second signing of the week after they completed a loan move for fellow defender Pablo Mari.
The club’s priority has been to bring in defensive reinforcements this month, but they have been forced to operate with a limited budget.
Consequently they have been exploring the loan market and Mari’s arrival from Flamengo has come at an initial cost of just £4m.
Arteta had identified to the Arsenal hierarchy that the side’s defence needed strengthening and they have shown faith in him by backing him in the transfer market this month.
