Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Defender ready to leave, Battle for Serbian midfielder, Portuguese attacker on the radar

Fulham interested in signing £75,000-a-week Arsenal defender

Fulham could accelerate their attempts to add Cedric Soares from Arsenal in January. Portugal international is not playing regularly this campaign under the Spanish coach, and Marco Silva is keen to tie up a deal for his compatriot.

The Cottagers will look to continue where they left off in the summer with their recruitment as Silva wants further experienced stars in winter. Marco is interested in a deal for Soares of the Gunners, with the defender not playing enough matches at the Emirates Stadium.

Cedric is represented by football agent Kia Joorabchian, who helped the Cottagers sign Willian in the summer. Fulham are looking at a new right-back and a central midfielder in January, with Marco Silva, keen on signing his compatriot from the Gunners.

The 31-year-old defender joined Arsenal in January 2020 on an initial six-month loan, which was made permanent and penned a deal until 2024. The Spanish manager was without the Portuguese defender in the early parts of the campaign through injury.

However, despite expectations, the Portuguese would play a regular role in their Europa League matches, the right-back has played only two times as a substitute. The former Southampton defender is reportedly frustrated at a lack of playing time and has been looking for a move away from the Gunners.

Whether Mikel Arteta sanctions a move stays the question, as the Gunners could lose a footballer with valuable experience heading into a crucial phase of their campaign. The Spanish manager has preferred Ben White in the right-back role this campaign, and Tomiyasu is his natural cover.

Arsenal held negotiations with €60m-rated Serbia international

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is open to joining Arsenal if the Gunners can present an important offer. Serbia international is fascinated by the project embarked on under the Spanish manager and has seemingly changed his previous stance on the London giants.

The 27-year-old midfielder stays one of the sought-after footballers in the market, but his substantial asking price has proved difficult for interested teams to digest. The Serbian midfielder stays one of the main footballers at Lazio and has 7 goals and 8 assists for the club and country this term.

The Serbian had wanted to move away from Lazio for some time, but the Italian club’s huge valuation of nearly €120m has blocked any prospect of leaving the club. The Serie A giants are unlikely to cave in during the winter window, as interested sides could look forward to making reasonable bids in the summer.

Sergej will have a year left on his deal when the campaign ends. The timeline of his deal puts Lazio in a tough spot, and they may have to entertain low bids for their prized asset. They could, however, look to attract offers for Milinkovic-Savic in winter, with many teams waiting on the wings.

The London giants are set to step up the interest in the former Genk midfielder and make enquiries with his agent Mateja Kezman. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has reportedly changed his previous stance about Arsenal and could stay open to joining them.

Arsenal started negotiations with 23-year-old La Liga attacker

Joao Felix is keen on moving to Arsenal despite interest from teams like Aston Villa. Portugal international has been linked with a move away from Atletico Madrid for a while now. Felix has not been able to live up to expectations since the big-money move from Benfica, and Los Colchoneros are looking to cut their losses on him.

La Liga giants are under financial pressure after crashing out of the UCL in the group stages, and they will need to sell some footballers to balance the books. Joao certainly retains a lot of value despite his inconsistent displays at the Spanish club.

The 23-year-old attacker is widely regarded as a world-class talent. And several PL teams have been linked with him in recent months, including the Gunners.

It will be interesting to see if the Gunners can agree on a deal with Atletico Madrid for the Portuguese forward. Recent reports have claimed that the London giants lead the battle to sign the Portuguese. And the former Benfica attacker reportedly wants to join the Gunners instead of Aston Villa.

Felix has the potential to develop into a world-class footballer, and he could make a big difference for Arsenal in the final third. Jesus picked up an injury during the World Cup and he will be sidelined for a few weeks. Mikel Arteta needs to bring in an alternative so that the performance levels do not drop, and Felix looks like a quality option.