It hasn’t been easy getting Schalke to budge regarding their asking price for Kyriakos Papadopoulos, but it seems that Arsenal aren’t deterred by the potentially lengthy and frustrating negotiations, hoping to be the ones that are able to land the Greek centre back.
Papadopoulos has been targeted by Chelsea and Liverpool as well; Liverpool have made an offer of £12 million, but Schalke are asking for more, and the Reds seem to have turned their attention elsewhere, thinking that paying more than that for someone who missed a big chunk of last season due to a knee injury is a bit too much.
While Chelsea are keeping an idle eye at the situation, Arsenal are going in. Schalke are at the moment refusing to budge from Papadopoulos’ asking price, standing at £19 million, which does seem a bit high. Yes, he’s 21, but he hasn’t shown anything out of this world since arriving in Germany from Greece, and the injury is a worrying sign for the future.
However, according to the Mirror, a £13 million offer should be enough for any club that believes in his recovery powers and talents, and Schalke are willing to be flexible, knowing that Papadopoulos, a 16-time Greece international at the age of 21, known for his strength and aerial ability on both ends of the pitch, is eyeing a move to the Premier League and is going to be hard to keep over a long period of time.
For Arsenal, Papadopoulos is somewhat of an insurance policy, knowing that Laurent Koscielny, like most of the club’s best players, might not remain forever. Per Mertesacker has formed a good partnership with the Frenchman, but when you isolate his individual abilities, has been known to have his weaknesses exposed more than once by quick strikers and forwards. Thomas Vermaelen went through a terrible season, jolting his confidence, maybe past the point of no return.
Papadopoulos might not become a starter right away, but if his knee hasn’t become something that is going to hurt his career from here on out, there’s no doubt he’ll become a first team player in a very short time for the Gunners.