Reports: Arsenal eyeing Kostas Manolas as replacement for Thomas Vermaelen

Kostas Manolas
Kostas Manolas (R) in action fort the Greece national team.

Arsenal are keen to bring Greek international centre-back Kostas Manolas to the Emirates as the replacement for the departed Thomas Vermaelen, according to reports.

The highly rated Greek defender is believed to cost half of what Arsenal acquired the Belgian for with a price of £8million being quoted to land the player from Greek champions Olympiacos. Manolas will be adding immediate depth to the Arsenal back-line and shall also represent an investment in the future, as he is five years younger to Vermaelen

The reports suggest that talks are in an advanced stage of negotiations after successful opening dialogues. The player’s representatives are believed to have flown into London this weekend to hold further talks with people in the Arsenal hierarchy.

Manolas is a regular starter in the Greek national team and was part of the contingent that took the European nation through to the knock-out stages of the World Cup earlier this summer.

Arsenal had earlier been linked with Manchester City’s Matija Nastasic this summer, however that ship seems to have sailed far away with Juventus now looking favourites to land the out of favour Serbian.

Vermaelen, left for Spanish shores at Barcelona earlier this summer after failing to secure regular playing time at The Emirates. The emergence of Per Martesacker and Laurent Koscielny as Arsene Wenger’s preferred duo at the back, meant Vermaelen was seen as a luxury at Arsenal.

The 23-year old would represent Arsenal’s third big signing at the back, following the arrivals of Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy at The Emirates earlier this summer.

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Edited by Staff Editor