Bringing in William Saliba and allegedly interested in Axel Disasi, Arsenal are looking to revamp their defence for years to come.
The London club have been rather active of late in the centre-back department, trying to find the right balance and partnership without ever really managing it.
However, fresh blood is coming in, which means the oldies will have to make room for them, and that could include Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
The Greece international arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2018 for a fee of just under £15m, and while he has played regularly, he hasn’t exactly been revolutionary either.
His contract is due to expire in June of 2021, but at 31 years of age, he is a prime candidate to be sold in the summer to make room for Saliba.
That’s where AS Roma come in, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, as they continue their search for a new centre-back in case they cannot convince Manchester United to let Chris Smalling stay permanently.
The Serie A side have looked at many names such as Dejan Lovren and Jan Vertonghen, but the Greek is new to the party, at least as far as we can tell, yet he represents many advantages.
Firstly, he knows the Italian league well, having played in it for both Genoa and Milan in the past.
Secondly, he wouldn’t be too expensive, as Gazzetta explain both him and Lovren would cost around €10m each, which is well within Roma’s financial parameters.
With just one year left on his deal, it’s either a case of him renewing or him getting sold, and if it’s the latter, we can now expect Paulo Fonseca’s side to be among those interested.
