Arsenal have reportedly revived their interest in Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos ahead of this summer’s transfer window.
The Greek centre-back, who has racked nearly 200 appearances for Dortmund, is expected to pursue a fresh challenge at the end of the season.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport h/t The Sun, the Gunners are prepared to rival Juventus in the pursuit of the 29-year-old with Arsene Wenger having identified him as a possible reinforcement in the central defensive department.
The backline has been a letdown for the club once more in the race for the top-four positions, and there is expected to be at least one centre-back signing, given Per Mertesacker is due to retire at the end of the campaign.
Calum Chambers and Rob Holding have been offered opportunities at different stages of the campaign to break into the lineup more regularly, but both have possessed flaws in terms of positioning which has hampered them – with pace not being one of their key attributes.
Sokratis is currently reluctant to prolong his stay at Dortmund beyond the summer of 2019, and as things stand, the German outfit are likely to lean towards a bargain sale rather than losing him on a free in 14 months’ time.
The Greek is likely to be available for a fee of around £25m during the summer (as per The Sun) and he would unquestionably be an upgrade to the Gunners’ defence, though the age remains a worrying factor.
With Laurent Koscielny approaching the twilight of his career, the fans would love to see a quality and young recruit in the mould of a Jose Gimenez or Samuel Umtiti in the ranks, but this may depend entirely on the club’s mindset on whether they are willing to spend significantly on the defence.
