Cedric Soares reportedly turned down a move to Benfica late in the window as he eyes a ‘lucrative’ Bosman move in the summer.
According to Record via Sport Witness, Cedric Soares did not want to join Benfica on lesser financial terms as he chose to stay at Arsenal. The 32-year-old is coming to the end of his contract in north London, which could see him seek a ‘lucrative’ Bosman move at the end of the season.
Cedric Soares has been one of the lesser-used Arsenal stars this season. The 32-year-old right-back’s usage has drastically reduced over the last few years, with the Gunners constantly looking to offload the Portuguese in the past windows.
With six months left on his current deal, the January window was Arsenal’s best opportunity to get some fees for the full-back. There were rumours of Cedric agreeing on personal terms with Besiktas earlier in January, but soon, Galatasaray were linked with a move for the 32-year-old.
Galatasaray had hoped to land him as a replacement for Sacha Boey, who joined Bayern in the window. The Turkish giants were keen on signing Cedric and may have had the chance to hold concrete talks with Arsenal, considering their window remains open for a few more days.
Cedric then decided to stay put while reports emerged that Galatasaray had cooled their interest. However, now, the story insists the 32-year-old might have turned down a move to Portuguese side Benfica as he did not want to make a financial sacrifice.
Portuguese sides are not known to pay huge salaries to players, as Cedric wanted a financially viable ppackage to continue his career. Now, the 32-year-old will eye a ‘lucrative’ move as a Bosman at the end of the season, where he will hope to have a choice of clubs vying for his signature.
Contrary to reports about a move to Turkey, the report insists a move could still be on the cards for Cedric. Galatasaray are keen to push on as they are willing to offer a two-and-a-half-year deal for the 32-year-old full-back.
At this stage of the season, much will depend on Arsenal now, as Mikel Arteta might still look to keep Cedric as an experienced option at the back. The Gunners are somewhat short in numbers at the back, meaning having another body, with Cedric’s knowledge, might help the north Londoners in more than one way in the remainder of the campaign.
