Arsenal are close to signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund, with a medical scheduled in the coming days, according to reports.

The Guardian write that Arsenal are close to completing a deal, after agreeing a €20m (£17.7m) fee for the defender. They add that it’s understood Sokratis will undergo a medical ‘in the coming days’.

The transfer is one of the most poorly-kept secrets in the transfer market this summer. Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc recently confirmed that a deal is close, and Sokratis’ father gave a full interview on the move earlier this month, revealing how his son turned down Manchester United for Arsenal.

However, as BBC journalist David Ornstein previously confirmed, Arsenal and Dortmund held back on pushing the deal through, waiting to announce it in July. This was for tax purposes, as the new tax quarter starts in July.

At last, we’re approaching the end of June, so we should see an announcement either on July 1st (Sunday), or perhaps July 2nd, if they want to wait for the first working day of the month.

Last season, Sokratis made 43 appearances for Dortmund, scoring three goals. Hopefully he should add a lot of fight and experience to the Arsenal back line.