Sporting Lisbon full-back Cedric Soares is on the verge of a switch to the English Premier League, with the defender set to join Southampton, according to Portuguese daily O Jogo.
Cedric has been chased by a number of clubs this summer, with Stoke City recently making the running, armed with a €5m offer for the 23-year-old.
But Cedric is heading to link up with Ronald Koeman's Saints and will in the process turn out alongside countryman Jose Fonte in the Southampton defence.
For the Saints, winning the race for Cedric is something of a coup given the clubs that have followed the defender in recent months.
Indeed, scouts from Barcelona, Napoli, AC Milan, Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg have all flocked to take in Cedric's performances in the Portuguese capital.
relatedNewsStory
A product of Sporting Lisbon's youth system, the 23-year-old defender joined the Portuguese side at the age of eight, after his parents returned to Portugal; Cedric was born in Germany.
A regular in the Portugal national set-up, Cedric has turned out for the country at Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 level, accumulating 72 caps at youth levels.
The defender has just a year left to run on his Sporting Lisbon contract.
Don't bet on football until you've visited Inside Bet! Interesting markets, top tips, betting facts – get all the info before you bet.
