Michael Zorc told Revier Sport that Sokratis Papastathopoulos will be joining Arsenal but that the deal is not quite complete just yet.

Sokratis has long been rumoured to be on his way to Arsenal with the German club waiting for the end of their financial year on 30 June before making an announcement.

On Tuesday, BvB announced that they had signed Abdou Diallo to replace the Arsenal-bound Greek.

“It seems that it’s going to happen. It is true,” Zorc reportedly told Revier Sport. “But it is not entirely in place yet.”

Dortmund are believed to be paying in the region of €25m for Diallo while Arsenal have agreed a fee of around €18.2m (£16m) for Sokratis.

Who is he?

Sokratis stands at 6’1″, and plays centre-back for club and country.

Last season, he made 43 appearances for Dortmund, scoring three goals. Transfermarkt value him at around €22m, so Arsenal are getting a decent deal if the rumours on price are true.

According to those who watch him, Sokratis should have no trouble fitting into the intense, attacking football philosophy that Arsenal play, as that’s what he’s already used to at Dortmund.

Last year, a Dortmund fan analysed the defender’s step up after Mats Hummels left for Bayern Munich. He noted that the defender made the second most tackles per game in the league, as well as being right up there in terms of blocks. Since that article was written, Sokratis actually increased his tackling numbers, so it’s fair to say he’s not afraid to get stuck in.

His passing is also very strong, and he’s strong in the air, but does tend to commit fouls often.

To see Arsenal’s new defender in action, check out the video below (skip to 0:50 to avoid all the adverts and build up):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFF794TbWdU