Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Arsenal’s 24-year-old Greece centre-half Konstantinos Mavropanos will join Stuttgart on a permanent transfer at the end of the season…
THE LOWDOWN: OBLIGATION TO BUY
It had been reported that a permanent deal was contingent the German outfit remaining in the Bundesliga — a status which was secured when they beat Koln 2-1 on the final day of the league campaign.
While an obligation to buy if Stuttgart stayed up was written into the deal, it is understood that the German side had already informed Arsenal in recent weeks of their intention to complete the transfer — regardless of their final league position.
Stuttgart paid an initial loan fee of £500,000 to sign Mavropanos, and will now pay a further £3 million with bonuses worth up to another £1.5 million.
THE LATEST: FULL PAYMENT
According to The Athletic, Stuttgart confirmed to the Gunners prior to their survival in the top flight that they intended to complete the transfer.
But the Gunners will receive slightly more than the purchase clause, also netting £1.5m in bonuses in addition to the £3m fee.
Stuttgart have agreed to make the full £4.5m payment up front, giving Arsenal a small cash boost ahead of the summer transfer window.
THE VERDICT: BIG BLOW
There is an expectation that Stuttgart could receive around €20m (£17m) for the Greek centre-back – meaning the club can make an immediate £12.5m profit.
That will be a bit of a blow to Arsenal, who are conscious of the fact they may need to raise funds to bolster their transfer kitty this summer as they look to bring in several new faces, providing their status in the Champions League next season is confirmed.
The £15.3m-rated colossal defender has been in solid form for the Bundesliga club this season.
According to SofaScore, he is their third-highest rated player so far this campaign with an impressive score rating of 7.13.
Alternatively, WhoScored, have rated him their best player – as well as performing the most interceptions (2.2) and third-most tackles (1.9) per game throughout the whole squad.
Also, as well as excelling tremendously in his defensive contributions, the player previously dubbed “brilliant” by former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell and “outstanding” by his international manager, has also managed to register four goals and an assist from 30 appearances. He’s played the second-most games of any Stuttgart player becoming a regular fixture and is more significantly their joint-second top scorer in the league.
The Emirates outfit could well have demanded a sizeable fee for the defender upon his return to the club, or he could potentially added a lot of quality to Arteta’s back-line in the long-term future.
So the news that Stuttgart have confirmed his permanent deal represents a big blow for the Gunners.
AND in other news, £4.5m-rated Arsenal loanee rediscovering form after tough season – opinion
