Sokratis is set to leave Arsenal as the club look to clear out some of their squad that Mikel Arteta has not been using in recent months.
Sokratis has been restricted to the odd substitute appearance following Arteta’s arrival. The Greek defenders inability to play out from the back has seen him fall out of favour and seen the likes of Skhodran Mustafi and David Luiz move ahead of him – despite maybe not being as good defenders.
Sokratis, now 32, does have talent and that is why he has attracted plenty of interest this summer. Reports from Italy suggests that Sokratis is ‘90% sure’ to join Napoli this summer. However the same report suggests that Arsenal could consider a swap deal with Maksimović, however Fresh Arsenal believes this to be wide of the mark.
Should a deal with Napoli not materialise, then there is other interest. Roma are amongst the other club looking at the experienced defender, as they search for Chris Smalling alternatives.
Should Sokratis leave, given his age you would not expect Arsenal to generate much £ for him. However he is on a significant wage (around £90,000 per week) and given his limited playing time, these resources could certainly be better used in separate deals.
It would be a boost to Arsenal if they can shift Sokratis, as with the arrival of Gabriel Magalhaes close, the Gunners currently face the prospect of having 7 or 8 central defenders at the club next season. The club are also thought to be willing to listen to offers for Rob Holding, Calum Chambers and Skhodran Mustafi as they look to clear the decks in defence.