Report: Arsenal defender Sokratis could leave at the end of the season

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Arsenal defender Sokratis could head back to Germany during the summer ending a two-year stay at the Emirates Stadium, according to SDNA.

The centre-back has been a peripheral figure under Mikel Arteta’s management and the arrival of Pablo Mari could further hamper his chances of game time.

Sokratis has played 27 times in all competitions this season but has only played in one of Arsenal’s last six Premier League contests.

The Greece international he cost the Gunners £17.7 million in 2018 from Borussia Dortmund and he has made 67 appearances in the team.

The summer could prove a busy team for Arsenal as Arteta looks to shape his squad how he wants it to look.

Mari arrived in January and he is already showing signs of being a decent addition to the Gunners.

The 31-year-old earns £92,000-a-week at the club and if he isn’t going to feature regularly then selling him seems wise.

The report also claims that Sokratis could be offered the chance of a ‘golden retirement’ in either the MLS or in Saudi Arabia.

Given his age, however, he will surely fancy playing in Europe for a couple more years yet.

Arsenal have used Sokratis as a right-back recently but he is naturally a central defender.

Arteta will have a clear objective as to the sort of player he wants to add in the summer and Sokratis might not feature in his long-term plans.

He has slipped behind David Luiz, Mari and Shkodran Mustafi in the pecking order and a departure seems inevitable.