Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos is poised to seal his switch to Napoli if the Serie A club can offload Kalidou Koulibaly before deadline day, according to Italian journalist Ciro Venerato.

The Greek international is seen as Koulibaly’s replacement, but the Senegalese centre-back’s move to Manchester City has collapsed, with only Paris Saint-Germain said to be still interested in the player. Venerato claims Napoli have already come to an agreement with Arsenal about signing Sokratis but the move is currently hanging in the balance:

“Satisfactory offers have not arrived for [Koulibaly]. The club have locked Sokratis, but Nice also requested him. We will see what happens in the next few days. If Napoli sell Kalidou Koulibaly on October 4th, they can send a certified e-mail the morning of the 5th to Arsenal since everything is already done for the purchase of the Greek.”

No details are given in terms of how much Napoli would be paying for Sokratis. There has been speculation that the 32-year-old has asked to have his contract terminated early at the Emirates in order to secure a free transfer move to Italy.

However, the Gunners want to raise some funds from his departure, even though he can sign a pre-contract agreement with any club he wishes in January with his current deal expiring next year.