Arsenal 'tell Sokratis Papastathopoulos he is free to leave'

Arsenal will reportedly look to part ways with defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos during the summer transfer window.

Since moving to the Emirates Stadium in July 2018, Sokratis has contributed six goals from his 68 appearances in all competitions.

However, the 32-year-old's sole outing since the resumption came in Arsenal's 2-1 victory away at Sheffield United in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

According to football.london, Mikel Arteta has now informed the Greece international that he does not feature in his long-term plans.

Despite the development, Sokratis is allegedly keen to fight for his place at the Gunners, a stance which could hinder Arsenal's plans in the transfer market.

The centre-back has one year remaining on his contract at the North London outfit.