Sokratis has reportedly told Napoli he will wait a few more days as they try to sell Kalidou Koulibaly.

Arsenal's Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos (L) vies with West Ham United's French striker Sebastien Haller (R) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and West Ham at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 7, 2020.
Arsenal’s Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos (L) vies with West Ham United’s French striker Sebastien Haller (R) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and West Ham at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 7, 2020. (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)

Sokratis has been lined up all summer to replace Koulibaly in Italy with the defender expected tohead to Manchster CIty. Pep Guardiola’s side placed a €50m offer on the table that would be topped up with a further €10m in bonuses.

Now, PSG are also said to have moved themselves to make an offer according to Corriere dello Sport, via Calciomercatoweb, PSG have offered €40m which seems an odd way of going about things.

Arsenal were said to have reached an agreement with Napoli some weeks ago but the player’s move was always dependent on Koulibaly being sold, even though there was a period when it was claimed Napoli wanted to buy Sokratis regardless.

From 31 August 2020

Arsenal have an agreement with Napoli for the transfer of Sokratis Papastathopoulos this summer on a permanent deal, according to reports.

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal speaks to Dr Gary O'Driscoll, Team Doctor of Arsenal following a knock to his head during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal FC at Vitality Stadium on December 26, 2019 in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND: Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Arsenal speaks to Dr Gary O’Driscoll on December 26, 2019. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Italian outlet Rai Sport (via Tutto Napoli) report that Arsenal and Napoli have an agreement over a transfer for Sokratis at around €4.5m. They claim the player will receive €2.5m-a-year in wages on a three-year contract.

Napoli boss Gennaro Gattuso knows Sokratis well from the brief time they spent together as teammates in Milan.

He’s looking for an experienced player who can immediately add something to their defence and sees an opportunity with Sokratis, whose Arsenal contract expires in 2021.

From an Arsenal point of view, it’s the right time to sell. The club have plenty of central defenders, probably adding two this summer in William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. Sokratis wasn’t even playing in the latter stages of last season, before those arrivals.

This isn’t the first time Rai Sport have linked Sokratis to Napoli. They listed the Greek international as a player on Gattuso’s summer shortlist earlier this month. There were also reports the 32-year-old was hoping to cancel his contract and move for free.

That’s clearly not happening, based on the above reports. Arsenal will get a small boost to their transfer budget in addition to slimming the wage bill.