Report: Manchester United, Arsenal, and Juventus all interested in signing Sokratis

There are still a few weeks left to play out this season, but the transfer rumors are already flying around ahead of what should be another hectic summer.

The latest rumor concerns one of Dortmund’s captains. According to reports by Reviersport, Sokratis Papastathopoulos is delaying contract talks with BVB and also drawing the interest of some of the biggest clubs in Europe...and Arsenal.

Reviersport’s story has been translated and summarized well by Get German Football.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Juventus are all interested in signing Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis, according to Reviersport.

The Greece international is reportedly delaying a contract new contract at the Bundesliga club to see how things pan out, with BVB yet to confirm their Champions League status next season.

Reviersport suggest Dortmund will be able to fetch upwards of €20 million for the 29-year-old, who has a contract at BVB until 2019.

Rumors about a possible for exit for Sokratis have been around for a while now. The Greek defender is one of Dortmund’s longest tenured players, having joined from Werder Bremen in 2013.

Papastathopoulos will be 30-years-old in June, so this isn’t exactly another case of a star leaving their BVB whilst still in their prime, but losing him at the back would still be a substantial loss. This would likely mean that Ömer Toprak and Manuel Akanji will be the center-back pairing going forward.

€20 million isn’t a huge fee, but it’s a decent return for a player who can be injury-prone and will soon be in their thirties. Dortmund will probably look to reinvest some of that money in another center-back on the transfer market.

The move makes sense from Sokratis’ position. He has spent most of his career in Greece and in Germany, why not give England a try? He has already played in Italy, for Genoa, but joining a team as big as Juventus would be a much different Serie A experience. Manchester United would be a solid move for him if he can get along with Jose Mourinho, but I’m not sure what’s appealing about moving from Dortmund to Arsenal other than a pay-raise. That’s either a lateral move or a downgrade.

Either way we’ll surely be hearing more about this possible transfer soon enough.