Report: Fenerbahce want Sokratis; early talks with Arsenal defender held

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Arsenal may have moved a step closer to offloading Sokratis Papastathopoulos in January, with Turkish outlet Hurriyet reporting that the defender has held initial talks with Fenerbahce.

As things stand, it is difficult to see Sokratis playing for the Gunners again. The 32-year-old was left out of Mikel Arteta’s squad for both the Premier League and Europa League for the first-half of the season.

And with the Gunners boasting so many centre-back options right now, it seems highly unlikely that he will return to the fold.

It could mean that Sokratis is on the move in January. As noted by Hurriyet, his contract at the Emirates expires at the end of the season. So he could potentially discuss a pre-contract deal with foreign clubs in a couple of days.

However, it appears that Arsenal may actually be offered the chance to move him on in next month’s window.

According to Hurriyet, Fener have held positive talks with the Greece international. It is suggested that they are planning to make an offer to the Gunners soon.

TBR View: Arsenal will welcome chance to move Sokratis on

It seems highly unlikely that Arsenal will stand in Sokratis’s way if an offer is made. According to Spotrac, he is on £92,000-a-week in North London.

That is obviously a lot to pay for a player who does not have a chance of featuring. So moving him on a few months early would certainly be a smart move.

They may not land a substantial fee. In fact, Arsenal should arguably be prepared to recoup none of the £17.7 million they paid for him (fee reported by the Guardian). But moving his wages off the bill may still hand Arteta’s kitty a boost.