CEDRIC Soares has been shortlisted by Monaco, according to French outlet Foot Mercato.

The Ligue 1 side are said to be keen on signing the defender this summer - but will have to sell one of their other right backs first.

It's claimed that if they can ship either Djibril Sidibe or Benjamin Henrichs out of the club, then they will start their pursuit of Cedric.

Having spent the last six months on loan with Inter Milan, the Portuguese international returned to Staplewood for pre-season at the beginning of July.

Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has given Cedric the chance to impress him, having picked the 27-year-old to play against SCR Altach and Preston North End.

However, it's unlikely that he'll be able to dislodge Yan Valery in the starting XI when the season starts on 10 August.

Upon his arrival in December, Hasenhuttl immediately put his faith in Valery which resulted in Cedric being left on the bench.

And because the Austrian wanted to trim his squad down in January, the more experienced right back was sent to play for Inter Milan.

The Italian side had an option to buy the defender on a permanent basis this summer but opted against it.

During his time in Serie A, Cedric managed just nine appearances.

He initially joined Saints for a bargain £4m back in 2015 when they lured him away from Portuguese team Sporting CP.

Cedric has gone on to play over 100 times for St Mary's outfit.