Perhaps one of the most surprising deals in Arsenal’s recent history was their decision to give Cédric Soares a four-year contract.
The Portugal international, who was on loan from Southampton for the second half of the season, had yet to play a minute under Mikel Arteta because of injury, yet the Gunners were clearly impressed with him enough to tie him down for the foreseeable future.
Only time will tell if the decision was the right one, but if L’Equipe are to be believed, they weren’t always thinking about keeping Cédric, as the French newspaper report on Friday that during the lockdown, Arsenal reached out and enquired about Marseille’s winger turned right-back Bouna Sarr.
It’s stated Marseille would hope to get €15m for their right-back, although his current valuation stands a bit lower, at around the €10-12m mark.
That’s certainly an affordable fee, even for the cash-strapped Gunners, but with Cédric now at the club for the next four years, they probably won’t return for Sarr.
