Arsenal are set to finalise a deal for Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos within the coming days as Unai Emery looks to overhaul the defence left behind by Arsene Wenger.
The 29-year-old is an accomplished Greece international with 79 caps over a decade in the national setup, wearing the captain’s armband on occasion.
Sokratis has an early affiliation with the role of captain, becoming the youngest ever player to lead AEK Athens, where he began his career, at the age of 19.
Having impressed in his home country, Serie A side Genoa signed the defender. After two years at Genoa he became Massimiliano Allegri’s first signing at AC Milan but, a year later, returned to I Rossoblu before, that summer, being loaned to Werder Bremen.
A year at Werder Bremen was all it took to attract the interest of Borussia Dortmund, whom he joined on the eve of their Champions League final defeat to rivals Bayern Munich.
Since joining Dortmund, Sokratis has made just shy of 200 appearances for the Bundesliga club, winning a German Cup.
