Arsenal right-back Cedric Soares has been linked with a loan move to Atletico Madrid.

Los Rojiblancos have recently allowed Kieran Trippier return to the Premier League with a deal to Newcastle United, and they require defensive cover on that wing.

The Daily Mail reports that the club is interested in securing a loan agreement for the Portuguese with the possibility of a permanent deal, but Mikel Arteta’s side may be hesitant to let him go.

Takehiro Tomiyasu is the team’s first choice right-back, but Ainsley Maitland-Niles has joined Roma on loan, leaving Calum Chambers as Arsenal’s main back-up.

With such a scarcity of cover, the side may be hesitant to let Soares go, despite the fact that he has only made a few appearances this season.

In the 2012/13 season, he only appeared in four Premier League games and only in the Carabao Cup on a regular basis.

The 30-year-old star joined Arsenal on a short-term loan agreement in January 2020, and once his Southampton contract expired, he made the move permanent.

At best, he’s been an out-of-favor player who only gets into the starting XI for cup competitions or when other players are injured.