Genoa are trying to bring back Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Arsenal, as the club is looking to make a major acquisition to bolster the defense, Sky Sport reports. The Greek international played with the Grifone from 2008 to 2010, collecting 59 appearances.
The Rossoblù inquired also about Shkodran Mustafi, but Papastathopoulos is the clear favorite at this stage. The 32-year-old center-back has remained attached to the club after his previous stint and has given Genoa the priority over Fenerbahce, which are offering a two-and-a-half-year contract.
Papastathopoulos has basically been frozen out by the Gunners this season as he has appeared just once in Carabao Cup and has never been called up for Premier League matches, however he has been allowed to practice regularly with the rest of the squad. His contract expires in June and he refused an extension.
Genoa turned to their former player once the decided not to move forward with the purchase of Denis Vavro from Lazio after the medicals, as they were unconvinced by his physical conditions since he has missed a lot of time due to sports-hernia.
Our view
As it happens in every transfer market window, the Grifone is getting busy and the position in the standings demand it, despite the early improvements shown under Davide Ballardini and the fact that they already have a lot of options in the roster. Papastathopoulos would be a solid addition, but the full details of the deal have yet to emerge and the richer Fenerbahce is surely a threat.