Arsenal are looking to completely rejuvenate their defensive ranks this summer after a disappointing campaign and reports have emerged identifying the changes that the Gunners are looking to make.
The Daily Mirror states Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos is top of Arsenal’s wish-list, while the Gunners are also considering West Brom’s Jonny Evans and Freiburg youngster Caglar Soyuncu.
Sokratis, entering the final year of his contract in the Bundesliga, could join the ex-Dortmund continent in north London that head of recruitment Sven Mislintat has worked hard on building; signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.
Available for a reported £15m, a deal would leave Arsenal with further cash to spend but it’s not clear whether they will match the hefty valuation that Freiburg have of Turkey ace Soyuncu, reportedly around £35m.
However, the Gunners are looking to raise funds by offloading Shkodran Mustafi, who missed out on a spot in Germany’s World Cup squad, and are chasing two defensive additions due to that potential departure and Laurent Koscielny’s achilles injury, which will have him sidelined until the back-end of the year.
Arsenal’s final defensive target will be an addition between the sticks, where Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno is the club’s prime target.
