Southampton sign defender Soares from Sporting

LONDON (Reuters) - Southampton have signed Portuguese right back Cedric Soares from Sporting Lisbon on a four-year deal, the Premier League club said on Thursday. The 23-year-old, who played in Portugal's 1-0 friendly win over Italy in Geneva on Tuesday, cost a fee of 6.5 million euros ($7.41 million). "I joined this club because I believe we can do better and better every year," Soares told the club website (www.saintsfc.co.uk). "Southampton is a big, big club in England and is very respected. It's a club with a lot of history and, for me, it's very important to play for a big club." The Saints, who finished seventh in the league last season, also signed Spanish striker Juanmi from Malaga on Tuesday. (Reporting by Michael Hann, editing by Tony Jimenez)