Arsenal’s imminent signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos rejected the chance to join Manchester United, according to the defender’s father. The Gunners are set to announce the first signing of Unai Emery’s reign after the Greek international completed his medical in London on Monday. Sokratis was about to enter the final year of his contract with Borussia Dortmund, which has enabled Arsenal to secure a €20 million (£17.5m) deal for the 29-year-old.
Manchester United were also keen on a move for Sokratis, and reports in Germany had claimed that Jose Mourinho personally contacted the Greek centre-back to discuss a move to Old Trafford. But Sokratis’ father, Charalambos Papastathopoulos, has revealed that his son did not want to wait for United to follow up their interest and instead opted to join Arsenal.