Diseased apple tree

[AndrewD]

I have 2 diseased apple trees. I have asked about them on hear before and the general consensus was that it was canker. I am now thinking of replacing them. One only fruits every other year and the other, the apples don't taste very good. I've no idea what varieties they are. I want to replace them with varieties that taste better. My question is; if I plant new trees in the same area as the old trees, would the disease be in the soil and could it infect the new trees?