Arsenal defender rejected January move away from club

Arsenal will be hoping to close the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool when the two sides meet at The Emirates on Sunday afternoon. 

Jurgen Klopp’s side currently sit five points clear at the summit, while the Gunners occupy third place and could move to within two points with victory.

The Reds arrive in the capital in fine form, having beaten rivals Chelsea 4-1 last time out.

Ahead of the match, it has emerged that one of Arsenal’s fringe players rejected the chance to leave the club last month.

According to Record via Sport Witness, full-back Cedric Soares rejected the opportunity to join Portuguese side Benfica during the January transfer window.

Soares rejected the chance to leave Arsenal last month

The report claims that the Portuguese side held talks with the Gunners over a move for the Portuguese, but Soares wasn’t willing to take a pay cut to move to Lisbon and therefore opted to stay put.

The 32-year-old initially joined Arsenal from Southampton in January 2020 and made his move permanent that summer.

He has primarily played a bit-part role throughout his time at The Emirates, making 61 appearances across all competitions.

The Portugal international spent the second half of last season on loan at fellow Premier League side Fulham, making a total of eight appearances across all competitions.

This season, Soares has made just two appearances across all competitions, and is yet to feature in the Premier League for Arteta’s side.

The full-back is behind the likes of Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu in the pecking order at The Emirates.

Soares’ current contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, and it now appears almost certain that he will depart North London this summer.