According to reports from the trusted and reliable Gianluca Di Marzio website, Arsenal ahev lodged a formal bid of €15m plus bonuses to sign Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos from German giants Borussia Dortmund. Jurgen Klopp’s side however are a tough nut to crack are playing hardball demanding €25m for the 26 year old.

The report claims that the Gunners are in constant touch with the Bundesliga runners up from last season to acquire the player’s services. Manager Arsene Wenger now having qualified for the Champions League, beating Turkish side Besiktas by 1-0 in the playoffs, is desperate to sign a centre back as an able replacement for Thomas Vermaelen.

The north London club were heavily pursuing Kostas Manolas but Italian giants Roma snapped up the player to replace Bayern Munich bound Mehdi Benatia.

We are keeping an eye on Arsenal’s moves for Papastathopoulos and shall keep you updated if anything significant appears.