Arsenal €3m Off Dortmund Star's Valuation as Gunners Edge Closer to First Summer Signing

Arsenal are slowly closing in on signing Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, but the Gunners have failed to meet the German club's €18m

Arsenal are slowly closing in on signing Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, but the Gunners have failed to meet the German club's €18m valuation for the Greece international, according to reports in Germany.

Sokratis is entering the final year of his contract at Signal Iduna Park and the 29-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League after falling somewhat out of favour with the Black and Yellows.

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It has been reported for some time that Arsenal would be Sokratis' most likely destination this summer, following the recent trend of Dortmund players moving to the Emirates - something which has been credited to the Gunners new Head of Recruitment, Sven Mislintat.

But the Westphalian side still haven't had their valuation of Sokratis met by Arsenal, according to a report from Kicker. It is claimed that the north London side have offered €15m for the defender but they are unwilling to match Dortmund's price tag.

Both clubs are said to be in a stalemate in regards to the fee despite their respective valuations being just €3m apart. However, Borussia Dortmund are on the brink of completing a move which could see their stance over Sokratis' valuations ease up. 

The Bundesliga giants are closing in on the €5.5m signing of DFB-Pokal winner Marius Wolf from Eintracht Frankfurt, with the 23-year-old said to be snubbing interest from Leipzig and Roma to secure a move to North Rhine-Westphalia.